Clash of the Clichés
by lukeskywalked
Summary: 'I looked into his dark eyes and everything around us seemed to disappear. My heart started beating faster as he closed the distance between us.' A collection of one-shots with each chapter's being a different cliché. Cheesy. Fax. You know you'll love it.
1. ChApTeR oNe

**So my friend and I talked about how funny it would be if we put all these clichés together in one story… and here we are! Each chapter is a different story and cliché. But each chapter has romance and a ton of Fax! Of course, it pained me to write most of this because I can't even stand to watch people kissing in movies (I cover my eyes until my friends say that it's done…. I covered my eyes in Breaking Dawn for most of the movie). My friend helped me write the make-out part cause I couldn't do it! So, yeah. Read and review please!**

**Me no owny Maximum Ride.**

**~* O *~**

I shivered and clutched onto my jacket harder as I felt a strong breeze pass by. The sun was almost fully set as I walked along the sidewalk.

I had just finished my night shift as a waitress and was walking home to my simple and small apartment. My parents weren't able to afford college for me, so right after graduation, I started my job as a simple waitress with a minimum wage. It wasn't the life I had envisioned for myself to live, but at least I had a manageable home and loving parents.

I'm so foolish, I thought to myself. It was the middle of November in Manhattan, and yet I chose to wear the lightest jacket in my closet.

Passing by the tall skyscrapers, I noticed all the energy and movement around me. After living here my whole life, you would think I got tired of all the excitement and liveliness of just being in the city. But I just loved it here, no explanation needed.

As I turned the corner onto a narrow and almost deserted road, I saw a man with a cigarette hanging from his mouth. I didn't want him to notice me, so I put my head down and tried to walk by quickly.

Not sparing him another glance, I almost passed him when he took a step in front of me and faced me, forcing me to stop. He had a smirk on his face with an evil glint in his eye. He looked me up and down, not even bothering to try and hide it.

"Hey, baby. You're lookin' a bit chilly," said the guy. "I can make you warm." He had dark blonde hair and blue eyes that would have been pretty except for the obvious glint of cockiness showing through.

"No, thanks. I need to get home." Tightening the strap of my bag on my shoulder, I tried to step around him when he grabbed my arm strongly and wrenched me back.

"Aw, sweetie. You know you wanna come with me. I can take good care of you for the night." I shivered at his response. He took that as a good sign and grinned, spitting his cigarette on the floor and taking a step closer to me.

I tried to tear my arm away from his hold but he wouldn't budge. "Let me go," I said through my teeth.

"Or what?" he replied calmly with an air of cockiness.

"I'll scream as loud as I can. Someone would be able to help me and stop you or call the police." All I wanted to do was get away from this man. I didn't know what exactly he wanted with me, but I had an idea.

"No need for that, baby." With that, he clamped his other hand over my mouth and kept his other hand firmly gripping my arm as he pulled me into the side alley. He shoved my back against the wall and crashed his lips onto mine while his two hands clamped my sides.

The wall was scraping my back and his hands were gripping my arms so hard I felt they were going to snap in half. I could taste the alcohol on his tongue as he forcibly opened my mouth with his and grazed my tongue with his.

I felt like gagging, he tasted so disgusting. I tried struggling against his grasp, but it was of no use. He wouldn't let go. He pressed his body even more into mine, leaving no inch of space between us.

A thought came to my head; as soon as his tongue came fully into my mouth again, I bit down on it as hard as I could. He yelped and pulled his head back, allowing me to breathe fully again.

He lifted a finger to his tongue and saw some blood when he pulled his finger back from his mouth. He lifted his eyes to fully glare at me.

I tried to run away but his other hand grasped my arm again and pushed me even harder into the wall. A great shot of pain shot up my back and I winced.

"You're going to pay for that, you bitch." He pulled his arm back and punched me square in the face. The force of impact caught me off guard and I fell to the ground, landing roughly on the uneven pavement.

He picked me up under my armpits and grasped my neck with one of his hands, the other securing my waist. The lack of air started to make me dizzy and my head hurt. I struggled against him, but to no avail.

"Pl- pl – please," I gasped out. "Pl – pl –pl – please st- stop." I closed my eyes, wishing for the pain to go away.

Suddenly the lock on my neck and arm was gone, and I fell to the ground gasping for air. I looked up to see a dark figure just beating the crap out of my abuser. With one final punch, my abuser fell to the ground unconscious.

The dark figure slowly approached me, but I wasn't able to fully see his face due to the darkness. I was afraid he was going to hurt me too, so I squeezed my eyes shut and covered my face with my hands, just waiting to feel more pain.

"Please don't hurt me, please don't hurt me," I mumbled. I felt strong hands pry my hands away from my face and I flinched.

The stranger dropped his or her hands. "I promise I'm not going to hurt you," the voice said; _his_ voice said.

I dared to open my eyes, and saw the mystery man crouching in front of me with a worried expression etched onto his face. Up close, I was able to see him more clearly. He had shaggy black hair and dark, dark eyes that seemed as if they were looking into my soul. They were almost black. He had flawless, tan skin. With a well-defined face and full lips, he appeared to me like an angel. I was mesmerized.

"I - uh – I, well, thank you for saving me," was all I could get out. I instantly felt shy, not knowing what to say in front of this devilishly handsome young man.

"No problem, of course. Where are you hurt? Where did he touch you?" He scanned my face and I knew he noticed where I had been punched. Looking down, he saw the red handprints on my arms and he narrowed his eyes slightly.

"I – look –I'm fine, really. Just a little shaken up. I should probably get home now. Thank you for saving me." I started to get up, although all I really wanted to do was stay and run my fingers through he beautiful, shaggy hair.

When I stood up, I instantly saw the world move by me until I was caught by warm and firm arms. I looked up and fought a blush as I noticed the small proximity between my face and his. With one hand firmly on my back, he rested his other hand below my knees and gently scooped me up. I quickly wrapped my arms around his neck, afraid to fall.

"Oh, uh, this isn't necessary. I think I can walk now," even though the inside of me wanted to stay in his safe arms forever and snuggle up closer to his well-defined chest.

He smirked at me, not like the evil smirk of that other guy, and my stomach did little flips. "I think this is necessary, and I don't think you can walk now due to the state of the walking you clearly portrayed for me. Now, don't argue and tell me where you live so that I can take you home."

"How do I know you're not just some creep who's just going to take advantage of me when we get to my home?"

He smirked his dazzling smirk once again at me, and I instantly melted. "How do you know I'm already not taking advantage of you?" But I could see clearly in his eyes that he was just playing.

I rolled my eyes and smiled. I told him my address, which was just right down the street, and he started walking. "Oh, please, somebody help me from this horrible man!" I mimicked with a taunting voice.

"Don't you mean absolutely gorgeous and amazingly horrible man? I help you out, and all you do to repay me is not put a good adjective in front of 'horrible'. Really, I'm offended now."

"The truth shouldn't hurt too much, right? Just accept it and grow up." I smiled. We bantered all the way until we got to the front of my apartment door.

"Okay. Since we're here, you can really put me down. No excuse now to keep groping me." I was finally let down onto my feet, although he used his hands on either side of my waist to settle me in case I would fall again, which I proudly did not.

I fished the key to my apartment out of my purse and shoved it into the lock and turned it to the right. The door creaked as I pushed it open. I walked in and turned on the lights.

"Well, you are going to invite me in, are you not?" He leaned against the doorway with his hands in the pockets of jeans. I had almost forgotten he was there. I looked to him and saw him watching me with a slight quirk of his lips.

"Why would I invite you in if I don't even know your name and you, mine?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips and giving him a smirk of my own.

He stood up fully and sauntered over to me. He then bent down with one knee on the floor and looked up at me from under his eyelashes. Oh, those eyes. I could stare into them all day. When I looked into them, everything around me seemed to disappear.

He took my right hand and placed it softly on his lips, before letting go and looking up at me again. His face was serious, though I could see a slight tease. "It is a pleasure to meet you, madam. The name to which I call myself is Fang Westly, but please just call me Fang."

I giggled and curtsied. "The pleasure is all mine, Sir Fang. I call myself Maximum Martinez, but please just call me Max."

Fang stood up and smiled at me, not just a smirk. It was the whitest and most beautiful smile I had ever seen. At that moment, I could no longer decide which I preferred: his eyes or his smile. My heart sped up noticeably and I tried to slow my breathing. I had just met him! Why was I feeling like this?

"Hmm, Max. Interesting name. That seems to suit you, though." He then took a step away to get a view on my small apartment, not that there was much to look at. I blushed at his statement, glad his focus wasn't on me.

I looked over at my apartment, trying to see it in his eyes, and suddenly I felt a little ashamed of it. What if this didn't meet up to his standards? What if he didn't want to stay any longer because of my weak financial support? I tried to cover up my discomfort with a joke. "Well, welcome to the best Manhattan offers. If it's too overwhelming, we could step outside if you want to."

Fang looked back over at me and did yet _another_ one of those smirks. "I think I can handle it. After all, I do live just next door."

"You - wait – what? You've lived next door to me this whole time and I've never even seen you once?"

"Don't tell anyone, but I'm a vampire. I only come out at night and I prey on young women like yourself. I don't sparkle in the sunlight, though. Sorry to disappoint."

I shook my head and smacked him lightly on his bicep. But hot damn. This boy's got some muscles. Now, if there were any way to innocently ask him to take his shirt off inconspicuously… ?

"I'm assuming you can't read minds, either? Damn it. All of my hopes and dreams are crushed. Crushed, I tell you!" I smiled up at him, feeling at ease.

"Well, not all of those dreams…" Fang said seductively, his fingers trailing lightly down my arm. I smacked his arm again, but secretly wishing he would do that again. I could still feel the heat of where his fingers had been on my arm. "Anyway, though, I need to check and see how serious your injuries are," Fang said, his voice more serious.

I rolled my eyes at his over-caring. "I'm fine, alright? He didn't really do anything."

Fang's eyes darkened slightly and he help up my arm to the light, tracing over the marks of red. "He didn't really do anything? Doesn't look like it to me." On my face he traced over where I had been punched and I winced slightly. Luckily I didn't bleed too much from the punch, but it still hurt like heck. He noticed the wince and searched my eyes.

"I'm fine, really. Only one punch. Sure, he grabbed my neck too but only for like five seconds." I tried to brush it off, not wanting Fang to get upset. Although why he would get upset, I didn't know, since I hardly even knew him.

"Take this seriously, Max. He was choking you for much more than five seconds. What would have happened if I had not come when I did?" His voice was laced with seriousness and concern, as he brushed his fingers over my neck now. I inwardly moaned at his touch, wanting him to explore more, feel more. I wanted to the feel of him so bad. I wanted him to hold me tightly in his arms and never let go.

I took his hand from my neck and pulled it down to his side, but not letting go. I rubbed my thumb over his knuckles. "I'll be okay, Fang. I promise. These marks will be gone in a day or two and I won't feel any of it anymore. It's not like he stabbed me or anything."

"But, he could have… " Fang let his voice drift off as he looked down at our hands. Slowly he released his hand from mine, only to bring it back and intertwine our fingers.

"Shh, " I whispered, putting my finger over his lips. I usually wouldn't be this daring with a guy, but with Fang, it felt like a natural instinct. "But he didn't. I'm fine. I'm okay. Please stop worrying."

He sighed, and I dropped my finger to my side only to have him grab it softly with his free hand and intertwine those fingers together. "You know, I've actually known who you are for a while. I've seen you enter and leave your apartment every day from my apartment."

"Stop, and please realize how creepy that sounded."

"… Yes, that did sound a bit creepy, didn't it? You know what I meant. I've just seen you around… a lot… okay, let's please just start a new conversation."

I laughed and when I looked at Fang again, he was just watching me. Suddenly, I felt self-conscious. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?" I turned away, my cheeks blushing for what felt like the fiftieth time that night.

His soft but strong hands grabbed both of my cheeks and moved my face up until I had to look right at him. He sighed and smiled warmly. "Nothing. I just love hearing you laugh." Right then and there, I felt like putty in his hands. How could he make me feel like this? Was I doing the same thing to him? How did he seem so unaffected?

"Stop doing that."

"Stop doing what?" he asked. I could feel his breath fanning over my face. Suddenly, I felt too close and I was overly conscious of his hands on my face. I probably resembled a tomato or something close to that at this point.

"Doing…. that."

He laughed. "I can't really stop doing _that_ if I don't know what _that_ is."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, then opened my eyes. I tried to calm myself in front of him. "You're making me feel all giddy and stuff on the inside, and I don't like it."

He slightly frowned but still kept ahold of my face. "And why don't you like it?" he asked.

How was I supposed to answer that? Tell him how I felt shivers – the good kind – every time he touched me? That I blushed every time he smiled or even looked at me? That just the feel of him with me sent pleasure coursing though me? (minds out of the gutter, you dirty-minded people).

I sighed and looked down. "I don't know… you make me feel so… so…." I didn't get to finish because suddenly his lips were on mine. A spark of electricity went through my whole body and I tried to hold back a moan. It was a soft kiss, hardly any pressure, but I still felt like I could die right there and then.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and drew myself closer to him, trying to feel as much of him as I could. Fang let go of my cheeks and wrapped his arms around my waist and back, pulling me flat against him.

All I could feel and sense was Fang. The way he held me close to himself. The way _I _held _him_ close to _myself_. I felt unbelievable happiness and joy. Why was he coming into my life just now? I thought to myself.

Suddenly, the kiss grew in passion and lust as we both pressed our lips harder against each other's, our hands holding each other's tighter than before. Even though I had just met him not even thirty minutes ago, I feel like I've known him my whole life. **(OH MY GOSH THIS IS PAINFUL TO WRITE. KILL ME PLEASE)**

Suddenly I felt Fang's hands grip my waist even harder. He picked me up as if I weighed nothing and set me on the counter of the kitchen, still maintaining lip contact. He came up between my legs and I wrapped them around his waist. I closed my eyes in bliss, moaning at the feel of his lips against mine. I felt his tongue softly glide over my bottom lip, begging for entrance. I opened my mouth and felt his tongue slip inside, tasting every part of my mouth that he could.

By this point, I had lost all ability of thinking rationally. I slowly moved my hands under his shirt, feeling his toned abs. After a minute or two of this, I pulled back, but not because I wanted to stop. I found myself staring into the darkest eyes I had ever seen. They were nearly black. At that moment, I would have gladly given anything in the world just for this moment to last forever. Fang started leaving small kisses along my jaw and neck.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back, giving him more access to my neck. "Fang," I whispered. I involuntarily let out a moan as his lips nipped at a sensitive part of my neck.

"Hmmm?" was his only response as he still caressed my neck.

"Let's go back to my room. There aren't any windows and it feels more private."

Fang leaned back and looked at me. He had a certain emotion swirling in his eyes that I hadn't see before. Was it lust? ….. Love? He nodded and picked me up with my legs still wrapped around his waist. He leaned back in and kissed me as he came to the door of my room and managed to open it. He walked in and closed the door with his foot.

He came to my bed and set me down, breaking our kiss. He sat on the bed next to me, but close enough for our legs to be touching. An idea came to mind that made me mentally sigh with happiness.

"Fang, you know what I really want you to do?"

Fang raised an eyebrow and shrugged. I smiled, and started to slowly take my shirt off….

**~* O *~**

"Oh God, Fang, that feels so good! Don't stop!"

Fang smirked from behind me. He continued working his magic and all I felt was pure pleasure swarm through my body. I closed my eyes, taking in the relieving feeling of Fang on me. He suddenly hit a sensitive spot and my eyes snapped open.

"Fa-ang! I'm ticklish there! Do it higher up."

"What's the magic word, your highness?"

"Now?"

Fang laughed. "That can work too." Fang went higher and after a few minutes, the bliss had fully satisfied me.

"Alright, Fang. You can stop now." Fang scooted up next to me on the edge of the bed and I leaned my head on his shoulder. "You give the best massages, Fang. Ah, that felt soooo good." I reached down and retrieved my shirt from the floor. Fang had given me a back massage after I took my shirt off, leaving me in my sports bra, and practically begged him on my knees. I took the shirt off so that I'd be able to feel the massage better.

"If that felt good, I could give you something that would feel three times as good." He smirked at me and wiggled his eyebrows. I gasped and whacked him on the head.

"Not cool, Fang! Maybe in your dreams."

He rubbed his hand over his head. "My wet dreams, perhaps… ?"

Let's just say he'd have a big headache in the morning.

**~* O *~**

**Ha, I bet you guys thought it was a sex scene! Suckers! xD **

**If you guys have any chapter ideas or clichés I could use, tell me! So, yeah, any thoughts?**

**~aalaal**


	2. ChApTeR tWo

**Me no owny Maximum Ride.**

**~* O *~**

"The hell I'm wearing that."

"Max, come on! You're gonna look super hot!"

"I don't care! I'm not wearing it! It's just a _Christmas party_, for Christ's sake."

**~* O *~**

_30 minutes later…._

"Nudge, I can't believe I let you do this to me. That iTunes gift card better be worth it."

"It is, it is! Now hold still, I just need to add the finishing touches…. and… done! You may now see your gorgeous reflection in the mirror and bow down at my feet." Nudge smirked and spun the chair around to allow Max to see herself in the mirror.

Max's eyes widened at the sight of herself, wondering if the reflection were actually she. She definitely looked different, having never really dressed like this before. "Nudge…. I look like a stripper," she said aloud, although her thoughts contradicted her statement. She actually somewhat liked it.

"Psh, puh-lease. You look hot. All the guys are gonna be wishing you were theirs, but I know one guy in particular who won't be able to take his eyes off of you…" Nudge taunted, wiggling her eyebrows.

"What guy? I have no idea whom you're talking about." Max averted her eyes to the side, avoiding Nudge's suspicious gaze. A certain boy flashed through her mind, and she quickly tried to shake her thoughts.

"Oh, well I know _exactly_ what I'm talking about. And it's obvious too, Max. No use in hiding it."

"Hiding what? And oh, look at the time. We wouldn't want to be late to Iggy's Christmas party, would we? Let's go." Max subtly changed the subject and practically jumped out of the chair, eager to escape the uneasiness she felt. She and Fang were friends; nothing more. Besides, she caught him and some red-head after school last week getting… well, not too intense, but enough to inflict upon her some emotional damage. It felt as if her heart had broken in pieces and nothing would be able to piece the shards back together. No, she didn't need him. She would impress all the other guys, just as Nudge had said. Though, her heart still clenched at the thought of Fang, even though she had never officially claimed him. Just friends, just friends, just friends, she kept repeating in her head.

Nudge and Max stepped out of Max's house and walked towards Max's black FJ Toyota. Nudge, in her strapless pink dress and matching pink heels, walked with an air of prestige and elegance, while Max, in her black one-shouldered dress and black heels, constantly had to balance herself from tripping and falling on her face. Although it was December, the night air had a smidge of humidity and a slight breeze, almost as if it were September. Wearing a jacket or coat wouldn't be necessary that night.

Sliding into the driver's seat, Max let herself wonder what Fang would think when he saw her. Of course she wouldn't care in the slightest, she told herself, but she was just curious. Her daily attire was usually jeans, a hoodie, and converse, wearing no makeup and having her hair pulled back into a lazy ponytail. However, tonight she felt as if she were another person. With her hair pulled back halfway and cascading down in curls, a touch of eyeliner and eye shadow along with some blush and lip gloss, and a 'smoking dress and heels' (Nudge's words, not hers), Max felt… dare she say it… hot. And she sort of liked it.

**~* O *~**

Max felt all eyes on her as she closed the front door and followed Nudge through the spacious living area. She didn't know whether to feel embarrassed or soak all the attention in.

Music could be heard coming from some stereo set-up in the backyard. Teenagers loitered around the house, some milling throughout the living room, others in the kitchen or even bedrooms. The center of the party seemed to be coming from the backyard.

Iggy's house was _huge._ No, don't even call it a house. It was a freaking _mansion_; biggest one on the block. His parents were loaded, but sadly never home.

"See, Max? All the guys can't keep their eyes off of you. All you need to do is sway those hips a little more and look like you can do anything," Nudge murmured into her ear as she made her way over to Iggy and his friends.

Max caught sight of Fang, who was standing next to Iggy, and they made slight eye contact. Max looked away and smirked, attempting to sway her hips in what she hoped was a seductive gesture. The show wasn't for him, of course. He was her best friend; she didn't need to put a show for him. But regrettably she knew that was a lie.

"Ah, and here come my two mistresses! Nudge, Max, thanks for finally showing up! Glad you guys think you aren't too cool for this party," Iggy proclaimed. He stood near the door to the kitchen, in the back of the living area, surrounded by Max's and Nudge's other friends, Fang, Angel, and Gazzy.

Max rolled her eyes while Nudge beamed up Iggy, either oblivious to or ignoring Iggy's sarcasm.

"Of course we wouldn't miss your party! Your parties are the coolest ones and I always have so much fun! It's good to see you Iggy, and Merry Christmas!" Nudge threw her arms around Iggy and Max saw a faint blush on Iggy's cheeks as he hesitantly put his arms around her. Letting go, they both ensued in conversation.

Max turned to her other friends, careful to avoid Fang's gaze. Of course, he had never intentionally hurt her, but what did he see in his girlfriend? She was a redheaded bimbo with a one-track mind and apparently low morals. She was basically an idiotic slut. And if Fang were into girls like that, then Max shouldn't be wasting her time contemplating her emotions over him. Though, she couldn't help but wonder what if would have been like if she and Fang were to ever be 'together', a 'couple'. But that didn't mean she could ignore Fang, since he was probably oblivious to her feelings about him and wouldn't know why she was avoiding him. Max internally sighed.

"Hey, Max! You look super pretty tonight! Did Nudge dress you up?" Angel asked sweetly. Ah, her name fit her perfectly. Long, blond hair flowing down in neat curls framed her small, heart-shaped face. She had the bluest of eyes and the most adorable smile even though she was Max's age.

Fang coughed, trying to hold back a laugh. "Of course Nudge did. Don't you know how fashionably challenged Max is?" His eyes raked her over once and she fought a slight blush. No! She shouldn't feel like this! He should be her friend; nothing more.

Max smacked his shoulder. "I wouldn't call it fashionably challenged; I'm just…."

"Fashionably challenged," Gazzy finished.

Max rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You know I-"

"Faaaaaaang! There you are!" Fang's bimbo, whatever her name was, quickly approached us and wrapped both of her arms around Fang's left arm. Wearing way too much makeup and practically giving everyone a show, she screamed 'slut'. "I've been looking for you! Come on, the real action's outside!" With that she tugged not-too-gently on his arm and led him out the door. I faintly saw Fang roll his eyes, but I must have imagined it.

With Nudge and Iggy still being in a conversation, apparently intense, I turned back to Angel and Gazzy. "You guys wanna go outside? Since 'the real action's outside'!" Max imitated the last part in the red-haired wonder's high, irritating voice. Both Angel and Gazzy laughed, neither one liking Fang's girlfriend as well. Basically, no one liked her in their group of friends except for Fang. Max felt a pang of disappointment at how Fang let the freak drag him away with no restraint. But she shouldn't think about him anymore. She was at a party; she needed to distract herself.

Max led the way to the backyard, knowing the way through Iggy's maze-of-a-house perfectly. Upon entering, she saw a big stereo set-up on one side of the huge backyard. There was a dance floor set up next to the pool with lights streaming down from above. Some people were actually swimming in the pool, still wearing their clothes. Others were lounging around the sides of the dance floor talking and holding drinks in their hands. Most were dancing and grinding on the dance floor. Props to no adult supervision.

Max absentmindedly scanned the area for Fang, although wishing she wouldn't, and found him stiffly standing on the edge of the dance floor with his girlfriend grinding up against him. Eh, he's probably just depressed that's she's still wearing clothes.

Max saw the dance floor and thought it was the perfect distraction. She didn't need to think about Fang; she didn't need to think about anyone. She wasn't going to act all depressed because of one guy; one stupid guy.

"Hey guys, I'm gonna go dance on the dance floor. You wanna come with?" Max asked Angel and Gazzy.

"Nah, it's cool," Gazzy answered. "We'll just chill here."

Max nodded and strode over to the dance floor. Glancing once more at Fang, what she saw made her skin boil. Bimbo was pressed up against him and had her arms around his neck. He actually had his arms around her waist, and they were happily making out. Max shuddered and looked away, no longer wishing to see anymore. She couldn't help but feel a pang in her chest. If that's how it was, fine. She didn't need Fang.

Still in full view of Fang, Max saw and felt all the bodies around her. She started swaying her hips to the music attempting to 'look hot'. What a joke, she thought. A few seconds later though, she felt strong arms gently grab her hips and pull them closer to whoever was holding her. She craned her neck around to see that Dylan was the one who had held onto her. He smirked down at her.

"Just keep dancing, baby," Dylan murmured in her ear. She shivered a little, not from pleasure, and continued what she had previously been doing. Max actually wasn't quite sure what she was doing, since she has never really done anything like it before. Sure, she's been to a few parties here and there, but she was never one to join the dancing mass. She actually felt out of place and uncomfortable, certain that she was making a fool of herself. But Dylan liked it, and so she continued.

He pulled her even closer to him so that they were flush together; almost one body. Max glanced over at Fang to see if he were still sucking faces with his girlfriend (she should really learn her name) and saw he was standing with his arms crossed, glaring at her, while his girlfriend was aimlessly talking to him. He paid her no attention, only staring intently at Max. His jaw was clenched and his eyebrows were furrowed together.

I wonder what's stuck up his ass, Max thought to herself. But deep down inside, she liked it. She liked that she was eliciting a reaction out of Fang. Wanting to keep him like that, Max turned around and faced Dylan. She gave him a smirk and wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing herself closer to Dylan.

Of course she knew who Dylan was; he was considered 'the player'. Hooked up with as many girls as he could and never kept a girlfriend for more than a month. But Max wasn't interested in that. She was just using him, toying with him. She'd ditch him soon.

She knew she shouldn't be doing it, but she was actually enjoying it. Not enjoying the actual grinding, but enjoying Fang's reaction. He often unknowingly provoked her and it felt good to get back a little. Seeing him mad only encouraged her.

Max kept swaying her hips against Dylan, and she dropped down low once, slowly rising back up. Dylan closed his eyes and groaned slightly in pleasure. Max didn't dare look at Fang again. She didn't want him to see her take notice of him anymore.

After a few minutes of grinding, Dylan pulled back slightly. Max raised her eyebrows at him, questioning him. He grinned down at her and released her waist. He took one of her hands and whispered in her ear, "Let's continue this off the dance floor." He pulled her off the dance floor and toward the house.

Stopping at the porch, Dylan dropped her hand and put both of his hands around her waist to pull her closer. Max glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw Fang holding the bimbo and her talking animatedly to him. Feeling renewed anger, Max wrapped her arms around Dylan's neck again and brought her face closer to his. He smashed his lips to hers and immediately began pulling on her lower lip, begging for entrance. Max complied and let him in. **(That's what she said… cough)**

Less than a minute later, Dylan immediately pulled back from her and was no longer touching her. Confused, Max opened her eyes to see Fang punch Dylan in the nose, effectively breaking it. He punched him once more and Dylan went out like a light. Max looked at Fang, anger but confusion clouding her thoughts.

Fang looked up at her, as if just now noticing her presence. His face was wiped clean of emotions, except that Max could see the slight twitch of his jaw and barely noticeable crease of his forehead. Fang approached her and grabbed her hand. Not saying a word, he led her inside the house and into a room that was unoccupied by anybody. Sighing, he put her arm down and put his hands in his jean pockets.

Max crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against the wall. She knew that when Fang was ready to talk, he would.

After a minute of silence, Fang looked up from the floor and into her eyes. Some emotion Max couldn't detect harbored his eyes. He angrily sighed. "Max. What the hell were you doing what Dylan?"

Max rolled her eyes, trying to keep it cool. "The given term is 'making-out', but if you want me to explain in detail what _that_ is, I gladly can."

Fang took a step closer to her. "Cut the crap, Max. Why were you with Dylan? You know how big of a tool he is."

"Why is it any of your business, Fang? Why do you care? You have your own girlfriend. Shouldn't you go be with her?" Max tried to take a step to the side but Fang cornered her in.

"Yeah, but that's not the point. Look – I –" Fang paused, deciding how to word what he was thinking. Fang never stuttered. Max raised her eyebrows in question.

"You what? Look. I don't need you to tell me whom I can and can't be with. If I want to be with Dylan," which she didn't, she mentally added, "then you have no right to stop me. I don't go punching your shit of a girlfriend just because I don't like her."

Fang groaned in exasperation and ran a hand through his hair. "I didn't punch Dylan because I just didn't like him. I didn't like seeing him with you. You deserve so much more than that douche."

"And what do you think I deserve, Fang?"

"I –" he looked up and his eyes widened a fraction of an inch. Max looked up and saw mistletoe hanging from the ceiling above us. She gulped, wondering about what this could lead to.

She looked back down to Fang and saw him looking deep into her eyes. The emotion in his eyes that she couldn't detect earlier was present again.

"Well, it _is_ tradition," Fang murmured softly, still looking Max straight in the eye.

Fang slowly began to lean down towards Max, never breaking eye contact with her. Max's mind was racing a mile a minute. She could not believe that she was actually about to kiss Fang, her best friend. As their lips touched, Max could have sworn that fireworks had just gone off. The kiss was not deep and hard, but it was the most magical moment Max had ever experienced. **(Argh…. barf. Someone please hand me a paper bag)**

They broke apart and looked at each other in silence. Max was speechless. During the kiss, all her anger seemed to dissipate and all that was left was confusion and wonder. She opened her mouth to try to break the silence, maybe try to fix the confusion, but found Fang's lips on hers again. Max closed her eyes and all she felt was him. He wrapped his arms around her waist gently, and she fisted her hands into his hair. This….. this felt right. She felt safe in his arms, unlike when she was in Dylan's. Dylan's kiss was full of lust, desire, and want; Fang's was full of care, comfort, and…. love?

They broke apart again but stayed in that position, his hands on Max's back and waist and hers in his hair. He pulled one hand up and put it at the back of her head, gently pushing it until he was cradling it against his chest. Max lowered her hands from his hair to around his waist and hugged him.

Staying in that position, she asked calmly, "Fang, why did we do that? What about your girlfriend?"

Max heard him sigh and felt the steady beat of his heart through his chest, which was well-defined and felt absolutely amazing. "Max, I like _you_, okay? I've liked you for as long as I can remember. Lissa," so _that_ was her stupid name, "doesn't mean anything to me. I thought that you didn't like me the same way I liked you, so I tried to use Lissa as a distraction to keep my mind off of you. But honestly, it never worked. I could never stop thinking about you. And seeing you with Dylan, I wanted to break him in half. I didn't like seeing him looking at you like that, him touching you like that. It pissed me off. But now that I finally have you, I don't want to let go. I''ll never let go."

That was the longest speech Max had ever heard from Fang, _ever_. She felt like her heart was going to explode from happiness, although she was slightly embarrassed at how vulnerable and girly she was being. But in the end, she didn't care, because she didn't have to hide anything from Fang. He would never judge her. He would always be there to take care of her, protect her, be with her. Her heart now felt complete.

Tilting her head up, she responded to Fang's declaration with a soft kiss on the lips. Although their lips were barely touching, she still felt a swell of emotions reverberate throughout her. All of pent up emotions and feelings were showing their true colors during that kiss. It felt more significant than anything else.

Pulling back, Max rested her head into the crook of Fang's neck and closed her eyes, content.

"Merry Christmas, Max."

**~* O *~**

**Ah, don't you just hate kissing scenes? I definitely do. Reading and writing them! But my friend helped me once again since I'm such a wimp. Whoever reviewed, thank you! The reviews made me feel all happy inside! And sorry for taking forever to post this, I had finals then all this other crap, and then I'm visiting my grandparents in Chicago tomorrow! I get to wake up in a few hours… yay me…**

**MERRY LATE CHRISTMAS!**

**~aalaal**


	3. ChApTeR tHrEe

**Me no owny Maximum Ride.**

**~* O *~**

"Max. If you are not going to pay attention in my class, at least pretend to look like you care." The voice roused me from my sleep and I shifted my head, trying to get comfortable again.

"Mhmmm… five more minutes, please."

A sudden pound on my desk jolted me wide-awake and I looked up to see my math teacher looking down at me with a ruler in his hand. "Welcome back to the realm of the living, Miss Ride; specifically, my class. Please save your urge to sleep for another class and at least try to pay attention in mine." With that he turned on his heel and walked back to the board, continuing the lesson of whatever we were learning. I could care less, really. I resorted to just staring at the wall.

"Oh, and I would like to see you after class, Miss Ride." The class erupted into 'oohing' and even whistling. I rolled my eyes and cracked my knuckles. Great. I already wasted a majority of my time at this dump; like I needed to waste any more.

The rest of class continued with my teacher's voice droning on and on about God-knows what. I suddenly felt something hit the back of my neck and I turned around to glare at who I already know did that. Fang, obviously. He smirked at me nodded his head at the ground, where I saw a crumpled piece of paper. I glared at him once more before bending down and picking it up. Facing the board, I slowly unraveled the paper as to not make noise and saw something messily written down. I sighed dramatically and read over the message, which said:

_So, Maxie, you and Mr. Wood? I hate to break it to you but I think he's a little too old for you. And definitely out of your league._

I crumpled up the note and turned around to throw it right at Fang's face. He glared back at me and picked the note from off his desk to throw it at my face. I picked the note up to throw it at Fang's face again, only to hear – "Miss Ride, your attention, please." I sighed and turned around, wanting to pummel Fang's face to a pulp.

Out of all the people I had ever known, Fang infuriated me the most. Starting at the beginning of freshman year, Fang had 'accidentally' slammed a door on my face, and in return I kicked it where the sun doesn't shine. Our rivalry has been brewing ever since, always trying to get on the other's nerves and see who could break first. Of course, I would never admit defeat. I would _not _let him get to me and show any weakness; that would fuel his stupid ego even more.

It was junior year now, and I had the glorious benefit of having Fang sit right behind me in my pre-calculus class. My dream come true. Note sarcasm.

After the bell rang, I took my time getting up and putting on my backpack as everyone all but fled the classroom. Fang, though, took his sweet time too getting up and out of the room, smirking knowingly at me as he passed through the door. Did he know some super secret or something…?

I slowly made my way to my teacher and stopped right in front of his desk, crossing my arms over my chest.

Mr. Wood crossed his hands on his desk like all those teachers do and looked up at me. "Max…. I really think you should get some help for this class."

I widened my eyes and uncrossed my arms. "I – what? I don't need help! I'm passing, aren't I?"

"You're hovering between a D and an F, so I suggest you to pull it together. And I know you're not going to my request seriously, so I hired you a tutor. In your case, meeting three times a week should help." Mr. Wood glanced back down at his desk and started grading papers.

I was honestly flabbergasted. I didn't need a stupid tutor! I could maybe do better by myself if I actually tried! I started to utter excuses but Mr. Wood interrupted me by saying, "Oh, and you're tutor is Fang Westly. You should talk to him soon to set up when and where you will be tutored. Have a nice day."

Being clearly dismissed, I inaudibly muttered curses and dragged my feet across the room and out the door, making sure to slam the door on the way out. Why is life so cruel and playing this joke on me?_ Fang_, of all people! Like it could get any worse.

I unlocked my stupid locker, stuffed the stupid books in, and closed the stupid locker door, only to see stupid Fang leaning against the stupid locker right next to mine.

"Creep," I muttered, starting to walk away. Fang quickly caught up and was now walking next to me. "So you knew about this all along, didn't you?"

Fang smirked that horribly annoying and cute smirk at me and – wait, cute? Fang is anything but cute. Moving on. "Of course I did, Maxie. Since I'm the top student in our class, I was honorably chosen to take on your services," Fang said haughtily and full of sarcasm.

"Whatever. I don't need your help, but our idiotic teacher thinks I do. _So_, we meet at _my_ house, whatever days I'm feeling like that week, at 7. Got it?"

"Actually, no. We meet at _my_ house, whatever days I'm feeling, at 8. Got it?" God, Fang was so infuriating. I could just strangle that pretty face…. cough. Pretends to look of innocently in the opposite direction.

I shouldn't be thinking these thoughts about him… well, the violent thoughts are necessary, but not the… other ones. Mr. 'hot-shot, I'm too freaking cool'. Never having a girl toy for more than a month, you could call him a player. All the girls in our grade flirted with him, and he with as much as a blink could make them fall in love with him. I, however, was never prone to his 'charm', whatever charm that was. Sure, he was hot; the hottest guy in the grade. But looks couldn't make up for what was on the inside, and in Fang, there was probably nothing worth-while. That's why I hated him even more.

"No way! My house, or I'll –"

"What? Fire me? You can't really do that. So, my house or you're failing. Here's my address." He handed me a sheet of paper. "See you at eight, babe." With that, he winked at me and walked off in the other direction. I stopped walking and glared after him.

"Don't _ever _call me babe, asshole!"

**~* O *~**

With my book in hand, I pounded my finger on the doorbell again and again, hoping to annoy him. Heheh this is fun, -

Fang opened the door with nothing on but dark jeans and black converse. Where – was – his – freaking – shirt? I averted my eyes, careful to avoid his chest and eyes, but I saw him smirk, _yet again_. That seemed to be the only facial expression he knew how to portray.

"Like what you see? Go ahead, you can touch it if you want to feel how hard it is," Fang arrogantly said. My face heated the tiniest bit and I looked up to meet his dark eyes.

"Honestly, I don't see anything to look at. And _move_; it's freaking cold outside." With that I bumped into him to get inside of his house. I heard him close the door behind me as I found the living room. I lay back on the couch and propped my feet up on the table.

Fang rolled his eyes but didn't comment. "You do know you're forty-five minutes late, right?" He tugged on a black shirt that was lying on one of the chairs. Thanks God; I wouldn't want to be that close to him like that… would I?

"I am aware, yes. See, there are these things called _clocks_ that can tell the time. If they're too difficult to read, you can try getting a digital clock."

"Meeting later at night seems more intimate, so I can see your thought process there. I'm flattered, really. Tell me when you want to take it back to my room if it gets too intense."

"Not even in your dreams. Now start teaching me this stupid stuff so I can go home."

Fang sat down just a _little_ close to me and opened up my book. Our knees were touching and I had to regulate my breathing. Why is he making me feel this way? I ducked my head to look down at the book and not at him.

"You wanna go home so soon? But this is where the party's at, babe; I can give you a good time." He wiggled his eyebrows slightly and smirked. How many times has he done that today, let alone this week? Definitely too many to count. My cheeks burned again a little and I glared up at him.

"God, you're such a man-whore. No wonder you can't keep a girlfriend for any significant amount of time."

"Why, do _you _want to be my girlfriend? Is this why you pretend to hate me? Maxie, you should have just said so earlier. I can be available whenever you want me to be."

"I know you're really desperate, but I'm just not interested. Sorry." Ha! I smirked right back at him. Fang's jaw barely clenched, but then he smoothed his expression and put the smirk back on. He began with the lesson and I tried _so hard_ to pay attention. Not really. I was just staring at the wall the whole time. Such a pretty shade of blue….

"Max, are you even listening to what I'm saying?" His voice carried me out my thoughts and I looked back at him.

"Hm? Oh yeah, sure."

"Then what did I just say?"

"Max, are you even listening to what I'm saying?" I imitated him from earlier.

Fang rolled his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. "At least I get paid to do this."

I looked at the clock and saw it was already ten. "Shit, it's ten! I gotta go home." I picked up my book and got up from the couch. Fang got up too and walked toward the door, me following after him.

As he was unlocking the door, I said, "Well, thanks for doing my homework for me! I would also say thanks for teaching me, but I didn't actually learn anything." I opened the door and was about to step out when Fang grabbed my arm.

"Max, seriously. At least try pay attention so I don't feel like I'm teaching my dog." Fang actually had a serious look on his face; that's a first.

I yanked my hand out of his grasp, though I secretly in a way liked it there. "I'll only pay attention if you give me something, like cookies."

Fang blinked. "You want me to treat you… to cookies?"

"No, to dog crap. Yes, cookies! You better have it ready before the lesson or I'm not gonna pay attention."

"Uh…. fine. But be here tomorrow _on time_ and actually pay attention. Got that?"

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Just don't forget the cookies. See you later, asshole."

I started walking to my car when I heard a "Adios, babe!" I rolled my eyes and opened the door to my car. Revving the engine, I pulled away from Fang's house and drove towards what I have now considered my 'second home'.

Parking in the almost-empty parking lot, I got out walked to the entrance of the hospital. After saying hi to the lady at the front desk, I walked down the hall to the hospital room that I knew by heart. I opened the door and saw him sitting up on the bed, watching tv with wires all around him.

Ari turned his head to see who came in and when he saw me a big smile lit his face. "Max!"

I smiled and moved across the room to sit on the edge of his bed. "Hey, kiddo. How's it going?"

Ari started talking about his favorite show, Adventure Time, and what had happened in the episodes he had previously seen. I was so proud of him; he was always so happy no matter the circumstances or situation. He was my little angel.

Ari was my seven-year-old brother and only sibling; he was diagnosed with leukemia two years ago and I have visited him in the hospital every day since. Our mom was never around because she was always at work or fooling around with her new boyfriend of the week. Our father had died a few years ago in a car accident.

"Ari, you feeling tired at all? It's already 10:30."

Ari shook his blond little head. "I took a super long nap a little while ago; I'm okay now!" But then Ari tried to cover a big yawn.

"Mhmm, of course you are, you little soldier. But if you go to bed now, I promise I'll bring you a treat tomorrow!"

Ari's eyes widened and he gasped. "Really, Max? What kind of treat?" He was almost jumping in his spot.

I laughed. "It's a surprise. But I know you'll like it. Now, try to go to sleep and I'll bring it tomorrow."

Instantly Ari dropped his head to his pillow and closed his eyes, pretending to snore. I ruffled his hair and stood up. "Good night, Ari."

**~* O *~**

The next day at school was a bore, as usual. Same old classes, same old people. In math I attempted to pay attention to the lesson for five minutes, which was a big accomplishment for me. Surprisingly, Fang didn't try to bother me or anything that period. I was relieved, of course. The bell rang and I hopped out of my seat, eager to escape. I was glad to have pre-cal at the end of the day because I always felt brain-dead afterwards.

"Hey, Max." I turned to the voice and saw Fang coming up after me. "Could come over around five instead of later today? I have plans tonight." It was Friday; of course Mr. Hotstuff would be busy. But then I remembered I had my afterschool job, and was slightly disappointed. Wait, why would I be disappointed if I couldn't meet with Fang today?

"I can't, I have…. stuff to do." I saw a look of disappointment flash on Fang's face but then it was masked. Had I imagined it? "How about in thirty minutes?"

"….. Fine. But don't be late this time, babe." He smirked at me and walked past me out the door.

I grumbled to myself and called out, "I told you never to call me 'babe'! And remember to bring those cookies!"

I got quite a few stares from the other students in the hallway.

**~* O *~**

"You brought the cookies, right?" I sat back on the same couch and propped my feet up on the table in the same manner as yesterday. Fang sat down next to me with a bag of cookies in his hand and handed the bag to me.

"Anything for you, sweetums."

I coughed. "Gross. That's even worse than babe."

"Sorry, babe."

"Still don't call me that!"

"Of course, babe."

"Argh! Just teach already!"

Fang went through the lesson and I listened to him somewhat. Turns out, Fang actually knew what he was doing. I thought his big ego was a cover-up for his stupidity. Kidding, but still….

After the lesson, I got up and put my textbook into my bag, trying to find room inside of it. My apron that I had to wear at the café was in it since I had to drive straight there. Some of the 'poof' from the apron was sticking out my bag.

"Hey, what do you have in your bag? A dress or something?" Fang attempted to see what was in my bag. The jerk. I quickly snatched it out if his prying hands.

"None of your business. I have to go now, so bye." I hastily went to the door only to figure out it was locked. My tapped my foot impatiently as I waited for Fang to come over and unlock the door. Gah, I'm gonna be late! Hurry the heck up!

Fang unlocked the door with his key and opened the door, but stood in front of the doorway with his arms crossed.

"What's the rush? That desperate to get away from me, huh?"

"I – ugh – I need to go somewhere, alright? And I'm going to be late if you don't freaking get out of the way." I was sort of acting like a bitch, but I didn't care. It's not like Fang would actually feel hurt by it. This was_ Fang _we're talking about here.

Fang put his hands up in an 'I surrender' motion and moved out of the way. I hastily passed him and walked out the door.

"You know, you didn't even eat the cookies…." Fang mumbled, but I had heard him.

"I was just…. saving them for later. Thanks anyway!"

Wow. I actually told Fang Westly 'thanks'. I thought the world wasn't supposed to end for another few months….?

**~* O *~**

I had to work Monday through Friday at this diner in order to help raise money for my family and to help support Ari. It wasn't my ideal job, but it paid a decent amount. It was sort of embarrassing, though, so I always hoped every day that none of my classmates would see me there. At least it was Friday, so I had the whole weekend in front of me.

With a smile plastered onto my face, I laid the drinks on some customer's table and ignored their prowling eyes. One of the guys at the table winked at me, and I quickly turned around to walk away. The smile instantly dropped from my face. Creeps.

I hated this stupid apron, and I hated this stupid job, but I had to do it for Ari. He needed this.

It was 6 and my shift ended at 7, so I only had an hour left. Just one more hour. I could do this. I had gotten the food from the counter to bring to a table when I heard the chime from the door. Turning to look, I saw a few cocky teenagers come in. Oh, and they were in my grade! What a delight. This couldn't get any worse.

But it did.

Fang was with the group. Yay me! I turned my head as I set the food down at a table and quickly walked to the back of the café. Psh, of course I wasn't hiding. I was just…. making sure the temperature back here was okay…. it was. Oh, what to do now….

"Max, you _are_ going to go help those new customers, right?" The owner of the café, Mr. Douglas, gave me a knowing look.

"Umm… can't one of the other waitresses serve them? I have… other tables to attend to."

"Max, don't keep those customers waiting any longer. Now go. And please try to act civilized."

I grumbled to myself and cracked my knuckles, wanting to go punch a wall. Or more specifically, Fang. _Why_ did they have to come here? _Here_, of all places?

I made my way over to their table and once again plastered on a smile. This was for Ari. I could do this. "Hi, welcome to Frying Nemo, how may I help you?"

All of them looked up, disbelief etching their faces as they recognized me. "Max?" Fang asked, clearly taken aback by my outfit. "You… work here?"

I sighed. "No, I like to come here dressed as a waitress and pretending to serve people for fun. Now what do you want to order?"

One of the guys wolf-whistled and another muttered, "That's definitely Max." The two girls with them looked me up and down (not like that) with disgust written on their faces. Eh, whatever, bitches.

One of the guys looked me up and down and haughtily asked, "Are you a parking ticket? Cause you look fine." He smirked at me – it wasn't as good as Fang's smirk though. Wait, what?

I leaned down and dragged my finger down his shirt. "You know, I really want you…" The guy leaned in closer, still smiling. "…. to stop checking me out." I leaned back and smirked. The guy's smile turned to a frown.

"Ew, pathetic. How could you be checking her out, Ethan? She's nothing but a whore. Right, Fangy?" The red-haired girl wrapped her arms around Fang's arm and leaned into him. A whore, really? Who did this bitch think she was? And I knew Fang could be a douche, but he wouldn't sink that low, would he?

Fang wouldn't meet my eyes and mumbled a soft 'mhmm'. I guess he would sink that low. I shouldn't have expected anything from him, anyway. What a dick.

"Learn the definition of a 'whore' before you go calling people one. Fuck off." Gah, these people are definitely ticking me off. "Freaking order something already, or leave."

They finally ordered different seafood and I finally got to leave their table. As I was walking away, I heard Lissa say to Fang, "Oh my God, what a bitch. What's her freaking problem? And why didn't you stand up for me, Fangy?" And Fang murmured, "Sorry, babe." _Babe_? That's what he called _me_! She didn't deserve to be called 'babe' by Fang! Why was he with her, anyway? That freaking dick. I hated him.

I brought the food out and luckily no one said anything to me. Though, I heard one of the guys cough 'whore' behind my back. I would not punch them, I would not punch them.

They finished their food, I gave them the check, and finally they were about to leave. _Thank God_. And it was about the end of my shift, too.

I went to go clean their table and as they were walking out the door, Fang turned to look back at me. I had always disliked Fang, but never too seriously. After seeing him with those people, I despised him even more than I already had.

I gave him the finger and turned my back on him.

**~* O *~**

"Hey, Max!"

I smiled and lay down next to Ari on the opposite side of the bed. He always seemed to cheer me up, even with just a smile.

"You brought the treat, right? I went to bed last night just like you asked!"

"Of course I did, kiddo. Now close your eyes and no peeking." I dug through my bed, hoping the cookies weren't crumbled up. Luckily, they weren't. "Hold out your hands." Ari complied and held out his hands. I put the cookies in his hands and said, "Now you can open your eyes."

Ari opened his eyes and grinned. "COOKIES! I love cookies! Thanks so much, Max! You're the best!" He gave me a big hug with the cookies still in his hands. You would think that he had never had cookies before, but it was just we rarely bought. Why spend money on cookies when we needed it for Ari?

I watched Ari eat his cookies and thought sadly that he didn't deserve this. Of course I thought this every day, but why did such a sweet kid like Ari have to be stuck in a crappy place with a crappy condition like this? It wasn't fair.

**~* O *~**

Monday during pre-cal I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked back and saw that Fang had a note for me in his hand. I took it, still mad at him but curious as to what the note would say. It read:

_Sorry about Friday. I know my friends can be douches._

_Can be_ douches? And he wasn't one? I crumpled it up and tossed it behind my back, hoping it would hit him.

I felt another tap on my shoulder and turned around to see Fang with another note. I took the note, crumpled it up, and threw it at his face. He didn't bother me the rest of the period.

**~* O *~**

I grudgingly came to Fang's house that night. He gave me a cookie, which I took and put into my bag. He went on with the lesson; I didn't say a word the whole time.

After the lesson, I got up to go, but Fang grabbed my hand. I instantly felt my hand heat up and I tried to wrench it out of his grasp, but he didn't let go.

"What, Fang?" was the first thing I had said all night.

He stood up and looked down at me. Darn his tallness. "Why are you acting like this?"

"Acting like what?" I asked innocently.

He narrowed his eyes. "You know what." And his hand was _still_ holding mine.

"Well, how do you expect me to act? We aren't friends. We don't like each other. Nothing has changed that."

Fang's eyes darkened and he let go of my hand. "You're right. You can leave now."

Bipolar, much? Sort of rude, but I should have expected it from Fang. "See you tomorrow, _Fangy_." Fang's hand curled into a fist. Smiling mockingly, I left his house and walked to my car. Well, now we were back to our previous terms of trying to get on the other's nerves….. why am I feeling a pang of disappointment?

**~* O *~**

A month flew by since then. Well, I wouldn't say 'flew by' because it actually didn't. You know how they say 'time flies when you're having fun'? Well, I for sure wasn't really having fun. School was a bore as always. I hated my job but luckily didn't see any other people coming in during my shift. I did my homework, and then went to Fang's house. He would still give me a cookie at the beginning, but we wouldn't really talk to each other unless we were jeering at the other. He would teach, I would somewhat pay attention. Then the best part of my day came when I got to visit Ari. He was a happy camper, as always, but had no drastic improvements. What was the point of having him in the hospital if he wasn't going to get better? I would be able to see Ari more and we could be saving a lot of money. Fun month for me, huh?

My math grade had gone up since the day Mr. Wood suggested I get a tutor. It was now a B-, which I considered a huge accomplishment.

Fang never bothered me during school anymore. Rather, it was if I weren't even there. The only time we talked was when I was at his house, and even then we didn't really converse much. Not that I would admit it, but I sort of missed his teasing and cockiness. Now, he wouldn't even look at me. I didn't know what his problem was, but maybe he was just tired of the banter. Or how I would look at it, I 'won'. Yeah, that's a way to look at it.

I felt even lonelier than I usually did. Not one to easily make friends, I actually didn't have any 'real friends' at school. Think of me a loser all you like, but I didn't really care. School to me was a dungeon; not a social network. Besides, I disliked most of my grade anyway.

Thursday night, I came to Ari's room like I always did, but something wasn't right. Opening the door, I saw four frantic nurses surrounding an unconscious nurse. I panicked and ran up to the bed.

"What happened? What's the matter with him?" I was desperate; I didn't wont anything to happen to my little soldier.

One of the nurses looked sadly at me. "He has anemia now, meaning a lack of blood. Since he needs the blood to travel through his body to his brain and lungs, he has passes out from lack of oxygen."

"Well, do something then! He can't die! Please, do something!" Not Ari, please save him.

"What he'll need now is a blood transfusion. It's risky and expensive, but it's the only way."

Blood transfusion? Shit. Shitshitshitshitshitshit. I knew would could happen from a blood transfusion; I also knew how expensive it could be. And I knew we definitely didn't have that money lying around.

"How long do you think he'll live before having the blood transfusion?"

"We've set up an oxygen tank now, but it won't help him forever. I would say about a few days; a week at most."

A few days? A few _freaking_ days? And why was she acting so calm and indifferent about this? That was my baby brother lying unconscious over there!

"After the blood infusion, how much time after would I have to be able to pay the bill?" Please be months and months away. With my mom's job and my pathetic job, of course it would take a while to collect all the money needed.

"Actually, with this type of procedure, we would need the money before the operation. And even with the payment, we might not even find a suitable donor whose blood could match with Ari's." What the hell? What hospital did this? Well, obviously this one, but still. Before the freaking operation? No way in hell! But I needed a solution; I only had a few days. I needed this to work. No way was I losing Ari.

I went over to Ari and kissed the top of his head. "I'm going to make you better, Ari. I promise."

My idea: Think of how to raise so much money in such a short period of time.

My plan: No idea.

**~* O *~**

School was miserable the next day. I had no clue what to do about Ari. Of course our mom wouldn't do anything about it; she hardly even acknowledges our existence. The only kind thing she does for us is giving me money from her salary once a month to help pay the hospital bills. If Ari were gone, she wouldn't have to 'waste any more money'. I tried my best not to punch her repeatedly.

"Max, please keep your head up during class. I know it's Friday, but just suck up your misery for another twenty minutes," Mr. Wood called out to me. I felt like he only picks on me during class; what did I do?

Of course I couldn't suck up my misery; my brother's _life_ was on the freaking line here! But of course I wouldn't tell my teacher that. I didn't want anyone to know anything about my personal life, such as my dad's death, my sucky job, or my brother's condition. It was none of their business and I didn't need their pity. But knowing the people in my school, I wouldn't get any pity from them anyway. They were all stuck-up asses.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to see Fang handing me a note. I took it, curious as to what he wrote this time. He hasn't given me any notes since a month ago.

_What's wrong?_

I furrowed my eyebrows; why would he care? Fang and caring in the same sentence? That definitely didn't sound right. But here was legible proof. I wrote back:

_Why would you think anything's wrong? I'm dandy._

I passed the note back to him and a few seconds later got it back.

_You're obviously not 'dandy'. So what happened?_

A month of practically the silent treatment and now he's acting like he actually cares about my well-being?

_Why do you care?_

I gave the note back to Fang, but he didn't have time to reply because the bell had rung. I jumped out of my seat and put my books into my bag, eager to get out and away, but Fang stepped in front of me.

"Look, Fang, I gotta go…"

"Just wait a second. Tell me what's wrong."

I paused and looked up at him. He was looking down at me, no hint of arrogance or teasing in his expression. He actually looked serious. "Why do I need to tell you? We're not friends; we're not _anything._ Study-buddies? Sure, if you want to call it that. But why are you really asking me? Why do you care?"

I noticed everyone else had already left the room. Even the teacher had gone somewhere, leaving Fang and me alone in the room. Perfect. Note sarcasm.

Fang ran a hand through his hair. "Look, I know we're not friends or anything, and we never have been, but I don't dislike you. I'm genuinely curious as to why you're upset." Fang looked a little uncomfortable and was avoiding my eyes.

So, just curious? Nothing more? That was sort of bland, if you had asked me. But I figured, why not? What was he gonna do about it?

So I told him everything. How my dad had died a few years ago, how I never see my mom anymore, how Ari's been doing, visiting him every day since his diagnosis, and how he was now. I just let it flow; let it all go out. It felt great, actually. Like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. But of course I still felt the underlying pain.

I didn't realize I had been crying until I felt Fang's hand rubbing circles on my back and his other hand wiping my cheek of tears. Oh God. How embarrassing. Crying in front of _Fang Westly_. I was _the _Max Ride. I wasn't a pansy, and I certainly didn't cry. But here I was now. He was probably thinking how pathetic I was.

I finished my story and tried to choke back a sob. I needed to get away; I didn't want Fang to see me like this. A muttered a 'bye' and turned to leave when I felt Fang's arms go around me and pull me to his chest. I froze, not knowing what to do.

This was _Fang_, and he was _hugging _me? I never would have dreamt of this in a million years. This was the guy I have 'hated' since freshman year, the guy who always had something snarky to say to my face, who always tried to act like he was better than I was. I just couldn't believe it.

All to soon, he unwound his arms around me and stepped back. I just gaped at him, not knowing what to say.

Fang looked down at me, determination but pity in his eyes. "It'll all work out, Max. You'll see."

"How?" I hated the sound of my voice; it was all shaky and cracking. "How is it going to get better? I don't even have half of the money needed for the operation, and they expect all of it in just a few days. And what if there isn't a matching donor? I don't know what to do." I hated how vulnerable I was sounding, but damn it, my brother was about to die. I just didn't care anymore.

"Just wait, Max. I bet they'll find a matching donor. And the money? Don't worry about it." Before I could reply, Fang strode quickly out the door. I sat down at one of the desks and put my head in my hands.

Of he course he was being optimistic; this situation wasn't happening to him. He wouldn't know what it felt like. Why did life have to be such a bitch?

**~* O *~**

After my job, I quickly headed over to the hospital. I was anxious to see Ari. To see if he were all right; if he were still _breathing_. I raced out of my car and into the hospital. Giving a quick smile to the receptionist, which turned out as a grimace, I all but ran to Ari's room. Stopping before the door, I took a deep breath and opened the door.

Only to find that it was empty. My chest rose rapidly and my heart leaped. I raced out of the room and to the receptionist. She knew me by now since I had come here every day for the past two years.

"Hi, do you know where they took my brother? He wasn't in his room." My voice came out all breathy and quick.

"Hi, Max. They took him to the operating room. I think they were going to give him a blood transfusion, but that was a few hours ago. Go to room E112 and see if he's in there."

With a quick 'thanks' I speed walked to the operating room, afraid of what I might see. But I was so confused. Why were they going to give him a blood transfusion? I obviously didn't have the money yet, and I guess they found a compliant donor? But why?

I knocked on the door and rocked back and forth on my heels. A nurse answered the door. "Hi, how may I help you?"

"Well, I'm Max Ride, and I heard that my brother was taken in here for a blood transfusion…?"

"Oh yes, he was three hours ago. The operation ran smoothly and now we're waiting for any adverse or side effects. Ari is just sleeping in the bed over there."

The nurse backed up to let me in and I went over to my brother. He looked like an angel with his blond hair and angelic face. And he looked _alive_. That was what I was worried about. But then, who would do this? And why?

I sat down at the edge of Ari's bed like I always did, and patted his head. My strong little soldier. I was so proud of him.

"Hey, Max."

I snapped my head up towards the voice I knew all too well.

"_Fang_? What are you doing here?"

"You know, just chilling in the hospital. It's where all the kids hang these days." Fang smirked at me, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Ha-ha. Hilarious. But seriously, why are you here?"

Fang sighed and came closer to me. He was looking down at the ground. "I paid for the blood transfusion." I opened my mouth to protest, but he interrupted me before I could say anything. "It wasn't my money obviously, but my parents'. They're loaded and don't really take notice of their money, since they're always God-knows-where in the world. That's why you never saw my parents at my house. But don't worry about it, they won't care."

I looked at Fang, mouth wide open. "But – but why did you do it? You never even knew I had a brother until I told you about him today. And where did you find a donor?"

Fang rested the back of his hand against my cheek and brushed it softly. "I care about you, okay? Seeing you upset about your brother, there was no way I wouldn't help. And I had my blood tested today. It matched with Ari's so I was able to be his donor."

"Max? Is that you?" I turned to Ari and saw him looking at me from his lying position.

"Ari!" I tackled him in a hug, careful not to hurt him or mess with all the electronic stuff surrounding him. "Oh my God, I'm so glad you're okay. You're really brave, you know that, kiddo?"

Ari beamed up at me; I had never seen him look so happy.

**~* O *~**

Fang and I walked out of Ari's room together. Ari had to stay the night to make sure there weren't any bad side affects. We went outside and sat down together on a wooden bench overlooking the parking lot.

Fang had said he _cared_ about me. Fang Westly? Caring about me? If you had told me this a month, two months ago, I would have just laughed in your face. But now, I'm not so sure.

I didn't know what to say to him, so I just sat there. I didn't know how to react. Was I indifferent? Embarrassed? Glad? My emotions were so confused. I went from practically hating him to this, and I didn't even know what _this_ was, exactly. What were we to do now? Pretend this whole thing didn't happen and go back to throwing insults at each other?

"Max, what are you thinking?" Fang asked. No arrogance in his voice, no smirk on his face. It was as if he had been replaced with someone who actually had feelings.

"I don't know what I'm thinking, actually. About you, about me, about us. What's going to happen now?"

Fang ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Honestly, I don't know. But I do know that I don't want things to go back to the way they were before."

My heart rate sped up a little. So he didn't want to go back to being Mr. Hotshot, I'm so cool? "So how do you want things now?"

He looked at me. "To be honest, Max, I like you. I _have_ liked you. I acted like a jerk all the time because I didn't want you to know. I was afraid you were automatically gonna turn me down, since I thought you hated me so much. I was secretly glad when I was chosen to tutor you for pre-cal. That meant I got to be closer to you. But for now, how things will go all depends on what you want." **(Hoorah for cheesy speeches :p)**

I was speechless, but in that moment, I knew what I wanted. Hesitantly but surely, I wrapped my arms around his neck. I leaned towards him and softly place my lips on his.

In a second, Fang had his arms around my waist and was kissing me back. We both pulled back about ten seconds later. Nothing too intense, but it felt amazing. His lips were so soft.

Fang stood up and held out his hand. Grinning, I grabbed it and hauled myself off of the bench. "Any place you wanna go tonight?" Fang asked, not letting go of my hand.

I thought for a second. "Let's go to your house."

Fang looked at me with disbelief. "Out of all the places to go, you want to go to my house?"

I smirked. "You know, if we're at your house, there's a lot more opportunity for being close to each other and even kissing."

Fang's face lit up in a way his face could. "I'm all for it, babe. Let's go."

**~* O *~**

Ari was able to finally come home yesterday, being declared in remission. He was able to enter second grade and make new friends.

Fang continued to tutor me at his house during the week, although the lessons got a little more intimate than planned. Finals were coming up, though, so I would need to study for those.

Fang dumped his girlfriend Lissa, who was the bitch at the café that day. He also ditched his friends, though I told him he didn't really have to. He always apologized for how Lissa and his friends treated me, and I always said I didn't care and that it was fine.

**~* O *~**

"Faaaang, I don't wanna study. One cookie isn't gonna make me want to pay attention."

"Fine. How about I give you three cookies, and you pay attention to me for three hours straight? "

"How about you give me seven cookies and a kiss, then I'll pay attention for an hour and a half."

"Don't you even want to pass this final?"

"I want to make out with you more."

Silence…

"Fine, three hours. But you give me the cookies and kiss now."

After studying for three agonizing long hours, we were finally done and were ready for the final, Fang more than me.

Ari was at a friend's house for a sleepover, so I didn't need to worry about him for the moment. I was so happy for him. He was finally able to live the life a seven-year-old boy should. He was my little soldier.

The next day at school, I took the stupid exam and waited outside while I waited for Mr. Wood to grade my final. I was the last one done, of course. Fang was next to me and holding my hand, rubbing his fingers over my knuckles.

"How are you not nervous? We just took the freaking pre-calculus final! That's forty percent of our grade!" Fang gave me a look, and I rolled my eyes. "Right, you're Fang Westly, math genius extraordinaire. You don't need to worry about anything."

"Just relax, Max. I'm sure you did fine. Not as well as I did, of course, but fine."

I slapped him on the arm and smirked when I saw him slightly wince. Just then the door to the room opened and Mr. Wood looked over at us. "Well, I graded your finals. Fang, 98. Wouldn't have expected any less. And Max…. you got an 89. A drastic improvement, I would say. A job well done." He went back inside and closed the door behind him.

I threw myself at Fang. "Did you hear that, Fang? I got an 89! That means I get a B for my average!"

Fang smirked at me. "Of course you did. _I _tutored you, after all."

I rolled my eyes and smiled at him. "Now, where's that kiss you promised me?"

**~* O *~**

**Ah, what a painfully cheesy ending. I almost gagged writing it. **

**So sorry for the late update! I've been out of time, then school started again and they gave all this homework on the first day back. The freaking first day back! So yeah, those were my excuses…**

**I apologize if any of the language had offended you at all. Also, my medical facts probably aren't too accurate, so I apologize for anything that is wrong and doesn't make sense, just correct me!**

**Yup, I felt like this chapter sort of sucked. I felt the whole ending was awkward and rushed, so sorry for that! I also haven't read over it fully, so I probably made lots of mistakes. Tell me what you thought!**

**If you hadn't noticed, this chapter is super duper long! Longer than my other chapters! I did that just for you! :D And it freaking took me FOREVER to write. It's 5:51 am here. I should probably go to sleep soon. You're welcome. Anyway, please review as a thank you for the long chapter? With cherries on top?**

**Thanks so much for all the reviews from last chapter! You guys are AMAZING! I was mind-blown. I tried to reply to every review, and if I didn't, I'm really sorry.**

**~aalaal**


	4. ChApTeR fOuR

**Me no owny Maximum Ride.**

**~* O *~**

**Max POV**

I looked at Fang through my snow goggles and grinned at him. "Race you to the bottom."

Fang smirked his heart-warming smirk at me and I fought to control my heart rate and steady my breathing. "You're on. Count to three?"

I smiled inwardly. Of course, Fangy dearest. "Yup. One –" I instantly took off down the mountain. I was _so _notgoing to lose against Fang. I heard him curse and take off on his snowboard behind me. I couldn't help the giggle that escaped my mouth, and then I was full out laughing as I flew down the mountain on my snowboard. The feel of the wind and snow against my face was exhilarating.

Approaching the bottom of the mountain, I noticed Fang out of the corner of my eye catching up. Damn it, I couldn't lose against him. He would cruelly bruise my pride and never let me live it down. Of course, I'd do the same to him if I won, but that's not the point.

I saw Iggy standing off the side at the bottom of the mountain with Nudge wrapped up next to him. They took notice of us and waved. I would have waved back, but I was a little busy at the moment. I needed to push further. _Come on, come on, almost there…._

I slid to a stop and dragged up snow around me. Fang was right next to me. Damn, that was too close. "I won! Now you have to go buy me a treat."

Fang shook his head. "No way. _I _definitely won. And you even had a head start. Which, by the way, wasn't cool."

"But you still think I'm awesome anyway…" I bit my bottom lip and looked up at him, attempting to give him a puppy dog look. Apparently it was working, because I saw his eyes soften slightly and one side of his mouth quirk up.

Iggy and Nudge came up to us, Iggy's arm wrapped around Nudge's waist. "Sup, guys."

"So, who won? I definitely did, right?" Come on guys, don't let me down here.

"In all honesty, I think it was a tie." Iggy was about to feel the wrath of my full-blown glare.

"It was super close! I really couldn't tell! You guys should race again tomorrow, since they're closing up the slopes now," Nudge commented.

"So even _with _a head start, we still tied. I think _you _should get _me_ a treat, Max." Fang was smiling smugly at me. Urgh, I just wanted to wipe that smile off his face. Stupid boyfriend.

"Whatever. I definitely gave you time to catch up at the end. I wanted to be nice and save you from having your ego pathetically crushed."

Fang leaned in to whisper in my ear seductively and I shivered. "Well then I greatly appreciate that, Maxie. How about we treat each other later tonight back at the lodge?" He leaned back and smirked at me.

I fought the blush coming to my cheeks and slapped his arm. "How about you buy me a hot chocolate, and I'll forget you just said that." I looked over to Nudge and Iggy to see them both beaming at Fang and me. Creepy, much?

"Aww, you guys are so cute together! I love watching you two, it's so adorable!" Nudge clasped her hands together. "Anyway, I think we should get back to the lodge since the sun is already starting to set. And our principal will probably throw a fit if we're one second late." She took Iggy's hand and the two started walking towards the hotel.

"Well, now that we're all alone…" Fang smirked at me and started to lean in closer.

I put my finger against his lips and pushed him back. "Ah ah ah, save it for later tonight. When we have more time."

Fang rolled his eyes. "You're such a tease."

I smiled and took his hand. "Yup, but I'm all yours."

Fang grinned at me and his eyes noticeably brightened. He squeezed my hand and we walked together to the hotel in comfortable silence.

**~* O *~**

I took a hot shower and changed from my wet clothes. Fang apparently had the time of his life as he continually pushed me into the snow whenever he had the opportunity. Of course I pushed him back, but my clothes were practically soaked by the end of the day because of that jerk. He was such the gentleman, if you hadn't already guessed.

I was watching tv and waiting for Nudge to finish her shower so we could go downstairs together and eat dinner. How long was she gonna take in there? It had already been thirty minutes…

After what seemed like hours later, Nudge came to me ready to go. "Are you sure you don't have anything else to do?" I asked. "I mean, it's already been almost a freaking hour."

Nudge put her hands on her hips. "I need to look my best! Iggy's gonna be down there."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Let's just go already. I'm starving."

We took the elevator down and got out one floor later. Yeah, taking one flight of stairs required too much energy. You probably would have taken the elevator, too.

Entering the dining area, we located Fang and Iggy sitting at one of the tables. After getting our food, we joined them, Nudge sitting next to Iggy and across from me, while I sat next to Fang.

"Fang! There you are!" We all turned our heads to the owner of the voice, who happened to be Lissa. Oh God. Couldn't she take a hint already? He. Was. Not. Available. Nor ever will be, if I could help it.

She approached our table and sat in an empty chair next to Fang. "I haven't seen you all day! Where have you been?"

"Snowboarding?"

"You must have been on a different slope than me. Ski with me tomorrow! You can help me up in case I fall!" Lissa giggled and flipped her red hair back. Stupid bimbo.

Smiling wickedly, I got up from my chair and sat in Fang's lap, wrapping my arms around his neck and straddling him. Time to show that bitch who's boss. "Baby, I've missed you so much! How has your day been?"

Fang's eyes widened for a second, but then he quickly caught on and smirked. "I've missed you too, babe. I've been so lonely without you."

I had the satisfaction of seeing Lissa's mouth hang open and anger quickly fill her features. "Oh yeah? Show me how much you missed me, then."

Fang wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me flush against his chest. Slowly but surely he lowered his soft lips to mine. I moaned dramatically. I wanted to make this a great show for Lissa since she had a front-row ticket. I deepened the kiss and parted my lips, as did Fang. I heard an angry screech from Lissa and she got up and stomped away. Fang and I didn't stop, though. Our tongues fought for dominance and we let each other explore the other's mouth.

I heard an awkward cough from Iggy. "Uh, guys? You do know Lissa is gone, right? So can we please keep this PG?"

I pulled back to tell him to shut up but Fang started peppering my jawline with kisses and I instinctively moaned. "Go get a room, then."

"Shouldn't I be the one telling you that?"

A sudden bang on the table jerked Fang and me. I turned to see one of my teachers glaring at us. Gre-eat. "PDA will not be tolerated here. Though we are not in school, this is a school-authorized trip and we expect you to be on your best behavior. You have this one warning but it is your last. Do you two understand me?"

We both mumbled barely audible yes's and sat there waiting for her to go away. She didn't.

"PDA includes sitting on a lap of the opposite sex, Miss Ride." She was still looking at us. Okay? Feel free to leave whenever it was a good time?

The teacher sighed. "That means get off of his lap, Miss Ride."

I grumbled to myself something that involved using the Avada Kedavra curse and sat back down on my own chair.

The teacher smiled but it wasn't exactly warm. "Thank you. Please refrain from any further physical contact in the future. And as a reminder, no having any members of the opposite sex in your bedrooms at all this trip." She stalked away, on the prowl for any more 'misbehaving' kids.

"Wow, good thing you guys didn't really get in trouble. And oh my gosh that kiss looked so amazing! Was it amazing? You certainly scared Lissa off! I hope she learned not to mess with you guys anymore. She can be so mean," Nudge rambled.

"Mean's your only adjective for her? I think I have plenty of more creative ways to describe her in my head." I turned my head to Fang. "Well, I hope that means Lissa won't be coming near you any time soon."

Fang cocked his head. "Jealous, Max?" His face was still slightly pink, and his hair was disheveled from the kiss. His eyes were almost sparkling.

"Sure, I'm always eager to punch her face out, but I know I don't need to be jealous." I smiled at him. Cue cheesy sigh from Nudge and a "That's so cute!".

Out of the corner of my eye I saw another teacher approaching our table. Golly gee, what did we do this time?

"Nudge, could you do a big favor for me?" Nudge was our class president and all the teachers' favorite student. Aka, big suck-up.

"Sure thing, Mr. Brown. What do you need?" See? Suck. Up.

"I left my medicine which is in my bag on the school bus. Would you be able to get it for me? I would, but I need to supervise all these unruly teenagers."

"Of course, Mr. Brown." She took the keys from the teacher and left. Mr. Brown turned and walked away. Gah, anyone could clearly see he was just lazy and didn't want to go out into the cold. Teachers. The nerve.

We talked for about thirty more minutes downstairs as other kids got up to leave.

"You know, there's a karaoke bar here! I bet that's where everyone's going. Wanna go too?" Iggy asked, looking hopeful. The boy loved to sing, but sadly, not everyone on earth was meant to be a singer. Fang nodded. I began to wonder where Nudge was, because surely she would have been back by now; I didn't push that though further, though.

"Yeah, but you guys go ahead. I'm going to go back to my room first to… call my mom."

Fang gave me a quizzical look, but let is slide. Iggy nodded, eager to get to the karaoke, and dragged Fang off with him. I didn't want them to come with me because I didn't want them to worry at all. I'm sure Nudge was just fine, but I felt something nagging at the back of my head. I wanted to go check and make sure she got back all right.

I left the practically deserted dining area and headed to the lobby. I could see it was completely dark outside and the snow was picking up heavily.

Coming into the large lobby, I noticed Lissa and her posse of friends lounging on the couches off to the side. I wasn't interested in talking to her, but she must have seen Nudge walk in earlier, _if _she had walked in earlier.

I approached Lissa and she and all of her friends simultaneously turned to glare at me. Slightly creepy. I rolled my eyes.

"Well look what the cat dragged in," sneered Lissa. "Little miss man-snatcher. Come to rub it in my face?"

"Actually no, but I could certainly give you that satisfaction another time. Listen, have you guys seen Nudge come in? She had to go run an errand for a teacher and I haven't seen her since." Please actually take me seriously.

One of the girls looked up at me. "Actually we-"

"No, we haven't seen her. It's been quite a while though, hasn't it, Max? Maybe you should go check outside and see if she's still out there. What if she's stuck out there? Oh, no! What if she's lost out there? She could be hurt!" Lissa placed a hand over her heart.

I ignored the dramatics, my mind focused on panicking about Nudge. Oh crap, was she still out there? And the parking lot wasn't even in close proximity to the hotel! I needed to go out there to look for her. "Thanks, guys. I'm gonna go look for her."

I ran up to the front desk to ask for a flashlight, and then I was out the doors. Good thing I had my coat with me. Having the door close behind me, I was instantly blasted full force in the face by a gust of wind and snow. I shivered, feeling much colder than when I was inside. All I could see was a great expanse of white snow and dark sky. Where the hell even was the freaking parking lot?

Flurries of snowflakes flew all around me and I had trouble seeing even two feet in front of me. I turned on my flashlight, which barely lit the way in front of me, but it had to do. Nudge, I'm on my way!

**~* O *~**

**Fang POV**

What was taking Max so long? She had already been gone forty-five minutes. I didn't know where she went, but I did know she didn't actually go to her room to call her mom. Her voice and demeanor slightly wavered when she said so; I could tell she was lying.

I drummed my fingers along the bar as I sat and watched Iggy make himself look like even more of an idiot than he already was. He was singing some Katy Perry song and dancing like he was imitating someone's having an epileptic seizure.

"Hey, Fang." Oh, God. Not _her _again. When was she ever going to get the clue that I clearly wasn't interested? Before I started dating Max, Lissa and I had a little 'fling', but obviously it never turned into something more. I dropped her as soon as I had the balls to tell Max that I liked her instead of Lissa. I never actually really liked Lissa, though.

I turned to her and saw her sitting on the stool next to me. She had this weird smile on her face and it looked like something was caught in her eye, causing her to rapidly blink. I didn't know what I ever saw in her.

"What do you want, Lissa?" I asked, trying to sound as uninterested as possible.

"Oh, nothing really. I just wanted to hang out." She started twirling a strand of her hand and looked up at me with what I supposed was an attempt of seduction.

"Really."

"Yeah, since Max isn't here or anything, that leaves me more access to you." She trailed her fingers down my arm and I grabbed her wrist and set it gently by her side. I will not hurt her. I will not hurt her.

"Lissa, I'm not interested in you. In other words, piss off."

"But this is the only time I get to be with you! Since Max left and probably won't be here for a while, we can be together!"

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What do you mean, 'Max left'? Where did she go?"

Lissa absentmindedly looked off into the distance, still twirling her red hair. "Oh, I don't know. I have no idea." But I could tell from her tone of voice that she _did _know Max's whereabouts.

I glared down at her, causing her to flinch. "Lissa, I'm going to ask you one more time. Where. Did. She. Go?"

Lissa looked down, afraid to meet my eyes. "She left the hotel, okay? I told her Nudge hadn't come back yet, even though I saw Nudge come in earlier, so Max went outside to go look for her and I haven't seen her since. Geez, don't freak out or anything. I'm sure she's fine."

I looked out the window. It was turning into a freaking _hurricane_ out there, and Lissa thought Max would be _fine_? And she was still out there… I curled my hand into a fist.

I shoved Lissa and she fell to the ground and recoiled down dramatically. What a coward.

"You bitch. Max could be _dying_ out there for all we know, all because you wanted to fucking _spend some time with me_." I turned on my heel and quickly strode out the door. I made my way to the lobby and asked to borrow a snowmobile to drive in. Yes, they did actually provide those at the front desk.

One of the men there got it out from the back and set it up out front for me. "Are you sure you want to ride this outside right now, sir? I would suggest waiting until –" I didn't bother listening to the rest as I sped off and turned the front lights on. _Max, I'm going to find you. Hang in there._

**~* O *~**

**Max POV**

I didn't know how long I had been walking, but I was pretty sure I couldn't feel any part of my body. I was so numb that I eventually didn't even feel the cold anymore. It was as if I were nothing, a puppet gliding along in the snow. I had no idea where I was or where I was going. All I could see was darkness except for the flurries of snow that flew right in front of me.

I had run into a few trees here and there due to not being able to see them. I hoped Nudge wasn't still out here. Maybe she was able to find her way back to the hotel.

"Nudge," I weakly called out. My voice sounded hoarse and I had to cough repeatedly to clear my throat. "Where are you, Nudge?"

I suddenly tripped over something, maybe a branch, and landed on my side. I tried to get up but I couldn't get up or even move. But I felt comfortable, like I was lying in bed. I didn't really want to get up. I felt peaceful and calm here. Maybe a nice nap would make me feel better. I was so tired from walking and all I wanted to do was rest.

My eyes shuttered close as I felt the darkness consume me.

**~* O *~**

**Fang POV**

Max was such an _idiot_. Why would she come out here when the freaking weather was this bad? She could be so narrow-minded and rash sometimes… but that was part what made her _Max_.

I had been looking around for about ten or fifteen minutes so far and didn't see any signs of her. I was panicking on the inside, hoping to God that she was okay, or even alive for that matter. I tried not to picture her with a pale face and no pulse and eyes staring motionlessly back at me… I shuddered. No. I _was_ going to find her.

The winds picked up even more since when I had left the hotel, and the only thing I could see was a few feet in front of me because of the front light on the snowmobile. I saw a lumpy figure on my right side and drove up to it, only to see that it was a log.

I didn't know exactly where I was, but I had a general sense of direction as to where the hotel was.

Hold on… I saw another lumpy figure that looked bigger than the log, and I drove towards it, only to have the snowmobile run over something and flip over. I flew from the vehicle and landed in the snow. Shit, what did I run over? I saw that it was only a big branch and mentally sighed, but still, fuck. The snowmobile freaking crashed!

Turning my head to the lumpy figure I had seen earlier, I jogged over to it. Most of it was covered in snow, but I still couldn't figure out what it was exactly yet.

_Please be Max, please be Max, please be Max._ I started brushing the snow off the figure or object. I saw an arm, so I hurriedly tried to brush the snow off faster. This was definitely a person.

After most of the snow was off, I was able to see the face of the person clearly and it was Max. She was unconscious, but I could feel her faint pulse. "Max," I breathed. I pulled her to me and started rubbing her arms, attempting to somewhat warm her up. "Max, come one, wake up. Wake up for me."

She made no indication of movement. I picked her up in my arms and held her to my chest. She was so cold…. my Max…

But shit. What was I going to do? The snowmobile was obviously broken now, and I now had no idea where I was or where the hotel was. But I knew that the hotel had off-campus cabins for people to rent out, so maybe I could find one of those around here somewhere.

I started walking in one direction, hoping it would lead me to either the hotel or the cabins. I held Max to myself as closely as I could, trying to radiate some of my body heat to her. She looked painfully pale and her skin felt colder than the snow itself.

Another ten minutes of walking, and I saw the faint outline of something big. Upon coming closer, I saw that it looked like a small house; more specifically, a cabin. Thank _God_. Maybe someone would be inside and could help Max.

I pulled Max to one side of me and banged my fist on the front door. There were no lights on inside, but maybe they were sleeping. After a few moments, there was still no answer.

A banged my fist against the door again and waited, but no answer. I laid Max down softly on the front rug on the small porch so I could check to see if any windows were unlocked. "I'll be right back, Max. I promise."

I tried the first window, but no luck. The second window was the same, and the third. I ran around to the other side of the cabin and tried those windows. One of them thankfully was unlocked and slightly open, so I stuck my hand through the slit and lifted the hatch so the window would open fully. I ran back around to Max and picked her up. Going to the window I gently slid her through and laid her on the floor. I followed after and quickly shut the window.

The room wasn't too cold, since the heater was luckily working. I spotted a bed and put Max on top of it. I knew she needed to take most of her clothes off so she wouldn't catch hypothermia.

I turned the light back on in the cabin and returned to Max on the bed, sitting down next to her body. Despite her paleness and current state, she still looked like an angel to me. I would never get tired of looking at her beautiful face.

I started to take her shirt off, looking away. I knew she would kill me for looking at her like this, let alone _doing_ this. But I knew I had to. I quickly took the rest of her clothes off until she was left in her bra and underwear; definitely did notwant to take those off… yet…

I lay down on my side under the covers after I had taken everything off of myself except my boxers and pulled her to me. I rubbed circles on her arms, trying to give her more warmth.

"Max," I said softly. "Wake up. I'm here, and I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. Please wake up."

After a minute or two, her eyes squeezed momentarily and then opened.

**~* O *~**

**Max POV**

"Please wake up." That sounded like Fang's voice…. what was he doing out here with me? I groggily squeezed my eyes and opened them… only to see something big and tan right in front of me. What the hell was that? I looked up and saw Fang's dark eyes looking down on me with concern. Oh… that would be his body. Wait – what?

I took a double take and saw that he was shirtless… oh, it was not nice to tease people, Fang. "Fang?" I hated the way my voice sounded. It was all crinkly and weak. "Where are we, and why aren't you wearing a shirt?"

I let myself peek again and saw how defined they were. Ah, I could just touch them… oh wait, I already was. I also noticed the proximity between him and myself, and how his arms were wrapped securely around me. I felt so warm. I snuggled further into his chest.

I felt Fang's chest rumble slightly, and I assumed he was chuckling. "Wouldn't you like to know?" I poked him in the stomach, not amused. "Fine. I undressed in everything except my boxers so I wouldn't catch hypothermia or anything, and I did the same to you."

I looked down, just now noticing how I was only in a bra and underwear. My bra wasn't even a sports bra. My cheeks reddened and, feeling exposed, I tried to back away from Fang and cover myself with the covers only to back into the wall.

Fang rolled his eyes. "You don't have to try and hide yourself from me. I undressed you, you know."

My face reddened even more and I started banging my fist on his chest. "Ugh, you're such a pervert! Enjoying the show, aren't you? _So _not cool, Fang! I hate you!"

Fang caught my fist with his hand and pulled it against his chest, me along with it, so I was back in my previous position next to him. "You know you don't hate me," he murmured softly. "In fact, I know it's the opposite." He started rubbing circles on my back with his other hand.

"Fa-ang."

He smiled. "What?" I just shook my head and didn't say anything. Instead I took my hand out of his grip and wrapped both of my hands around his neck. Fang placed both of his hands around my waist and pulled me even closer to him until I was only a few inches away from his face. I couldn't remove myself from his gaze and instead looked deeply into his eyes. His eyes were so dark, so beautiful. His smile had dropped and he was staring intensely at me.

I decided to break the distance and leaned over, pressing my lips against his. There was no inch of space between us. My previous shyness of not wearing as much as I'd like quickly dissipated and was replaced by passion. I loved the feel of his warm skin on mine. I wanted more, needed more.

Fang shifted me onto my back and gently climbed over me, keeping most of his weight off me and still maintaining the kiss. His tongue traced over my bottom lip and I opened my mouth to let him in. His tongue explored every inch of my mouth and I sighed. I then explored his mouth, and tasted perfection. We stayed like that for a few minutes. I had to remember to breathe through my nose.

Finally we broke apart and Fang leaned back, his arms still around my waist and mine around his neck. His lips were swollen and his cheeks a slight pink. His eyes were blazing. I giggled at his appearance, unable to help myself.

Fang lifted his eyebrow, but smiled at me. "What's so funny?"

I shook my head. "Nothing." I found him staring at me again with intense eyes. I cocked my head to the side. "What?" I asked.

Fang shifted his position from on top of me and returned to my side. My hands dropped to around his waist. Fang sighed and closed his eyes for a second. He opened them, and whispered, "I'm just glad you're okay. Did you know how worried I was when I was looking for you? And to find you unconscious hidden under snow? But why did you go out there by yourself? Do you know how stupid that was?"

I ducked my head and looked down. I didn't want him to be mad at me. I was just looking for Nudge. And what if she were still out there?

Fang gently grabbed my chin with one hand and raised it up. I still averted my eyes. "Max. Look at me."

I looked up at him to see him staring intently at me again. I couldn't look away once again.

"I'm sorry, Max. But you scared me so much. I honestly thought that you could have died."

"But I didn't die, and I'm here with you now." I smiled at him. Then forgetting Nudge, that smile disappeared.

Fang of course noticed this. "What? What's wrong?"

"I'm worried about Nudge. I don't know if she ever came back to the hotel or not. That's why I went out, because Lissa told me she still hadn't come back. _Did _she come back?"

Fang's jaw clenched and I traced it with my fingers. Nudge must not have come back, I thought sadly.

"No, Nudge did come back. Before you even left the damn hotel to look for her."

My head snapped up. "But Lissa… she said…"

"Yeah, I know. She fucking lied to you so you would leave the hotel. All because she fucking wanted to spend some time with me." Fang shook his head angrily, glaring off to the side.

I inwardly sighed. I was so glad Nudge was all right. I didn't know what I'd do if anything happened to her.

I put both of my hands on each of his cheeks and pulled his head to look back at me. "I know she's a bitch, but it's fine. I'm okay now, and we're both safe together. Besides," I smiled at him, "she unknowingly put us closer together. You know you love this right now, right?"

Fang's eyes softened. "Of course I do." He placed a kiss on each cheek, then my forehead, then my chin, and then my nose. "Because I love _you._" Then he kissed me on my lips. It was soft and unlike the last kiss, but my heart beat just as fast.

He pulled back and smiled at me. "Come on, we should get to sleep now. Tomorrow I'll take you to the nurse right when we get back to the hotel to make sure you're really okay. Deal?"

"Deal."

Fang got up to turn off the lights and returned to the bed, under the covers. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer to him. I snuggled into his chest.

"Oh, and Fang?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you, too."

**~* O *~**

"Race you to the bottom of the mountain?"

"Didn't we already have a race yesterday?"

"Yeah, which I totally won by the way, but this one is to truly declare the real winner," I proudly announced.

Fang smiled his award-winning smile at me. "Fine. But no cheating this time. And I'm counting. Got it?"

I exaggerated my sigh and rolled my eyes. "Fine. But don't get any tears on my jacket after you lose miserably."

"You don't have to worry about that cause it's not gonna happen. Ready?" I nodded. "Okay. One – " and then he was off. I stared, gaping at him for a second before my senses kicked in and I jumped right on after him.

He was _so _going to lose this time. Once again, my precious ego was at stake here and I wasn't going to let Fang trample all over it.

I saw Nudge and Iggy at the bottom both watching us; this time they were ready to declare a winner.

Nudge, as it turned out, was late only because she got snow on her jacket from the trip to the bus and insisted on taking yet another shower; hence her long absence.

Fang and I were able to find our way to the hotel the next day with the storm calmed down and light guiding us. According to the nurse, I was fine and just had a cold. I felt extremely lucky. If it weren't for Fang, who knows what could have happened…?

I had to take that whole day off from snowboarding and rest. Lucky for me, Fang stayed by my side the whole time and refused to leave me, except for when one of us needed to use the restroom. Thank God for _that _boundary.

After spotting Lissa later that day, I might have thrown in a few punches and curse words. Nothing too much to worry about. She wasn't in a hospital, so I deemed she was just fine. Only a big wimp.

Approaching the bottom of the hill, I was just two feet away from him. _Come on, just a little closer…_

An idea formed in my mind and I grinned manically. Reaching out, I pushed Fang. He stumbled over his snowboard and rolled.

…. That was a very stupid and not-well-thought-of idea. Since I was right behind him, I tripped over him and rolled right along with him. We finally both stopped together at the bottom in a tangled mess.

Iggy and Nudge came over to us; Nudge's eyes wide and mouth hanging open, Iggy grinning like he won the lottery.

"So? Who won?" I got out. I was lying on top of Fang and my head was on his chest.

"To be honest once again… that was a tie." Iggy sounded remorseful.

"What? Noooo! And after all of my efforts!" I pushed off Fang to get up but his hand kept me firmly planted.

"Efforts? I'm pretty sure the correct term is _cheating."_

"Stupid Fang. You cheated too."

"Only because you did so the first time."

"That was to save you and your precious ego."

"By going even further to try and beat me? I don't think so."

"But – "

"GUYS!" We all turned to Nudge. She had her hands on her hips and was looking down at us. "Geesh, you two act like an old married couple. Come on Iggy, let's go get hot chocolate." The two left Fang and me in our tangled little mess. Well, this was awkward.

"I quite enjoy this intimate position."

"Shut it, Fang."

**~* O *~**

**Two updates in less than a week? Man, I'm good. Don't get used to it though...**

**So sorry if any character seemed OOC to you! But this **_**is**_**cliché afterall. And very cheesy.**

**Thanks so much again for the reviews last chapter! They motivate me to write and make me feel all happy :) If I didn't reply to your review, I am so sorry! I try to reply to everyone's!**

**By the way, check out my other story, _Independent_. Updates aren't as often, but give it a try!**

**Any ideas for the next chapter? I made a whole mental list, but then forgot all of them. Writing them down would probably be a good idea for me. So, tell me what you would want to see in a chapter! Make note that it will only be a chapter, so it would be sort of hard for a full relationship to suddenly go from strangers or something to in love. Notice my example in chapter 3! Not a good idea.**

**~ aalaal**


	5. ChApTeR fIvE

**Me no owny Maximum Ride.**

**~* O *~**

"Babe, you look beautiful as always." Dylan wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me to him.

I smiled and felt a small blush creep onto my cheeks. "Thanks."

I looked around at all of my other friends and their dates, dressed up and smiling. We were all crowded in my living room, and Ella, Nudge, and I had just arrived from upstairs after getting ready for our homecoming dance.

I looked over to my closest friend Fang and saw him looking at me. Lissa, his date to homecoming, was talking animatedly to him but he was paying her no attention. I smiled at him, and he smiled back, but something in his expression seemed off; almost a bit solemn. As his best friend, I would have been able to see it. I raised my eyebrows in question, but he shook his head and turned to Lissa.

I then noticed that Dylan had been saying something to me, so I smiled and nodded, hoping he didn't ask a question.

My mom barreled down the hall with a camera in her hand. "Wait! Before you leave, I need to take pictures!"

I outwardly groaned. "Moooom. Do you have to?" I already felt uncomfortable in this stupid black strapless dress and heels, along with the makeup Nudge had insisted I 'had to wear'; I didn't need a reminder.

"Of course I do! This is your _senior homecoming dance_! Now everyone line up, girls in the front and boys in the back." We all lined up, me grumbling to myself as I stood in front of Dylan. "Now, everybody smile! … Max, that means you, too."

I showed my teeth and glared at the camera. I didn't even want to come to this dance in the first place; I only agreed to come with Dylan because we had recently gotten together and I didn't want to be mean and say no. So alas, here I was in a stupid, bloody dress.

My mom sighed, accepting my 'attempt' of a smile, and started taking pictures…. and didn't stop. Geez, how many did she need to take? I would have stopped after zero. My mouth was starting to hurt and I just wanted to get this dance over with.

"Okay, I'm done!" My mom beamed at us. "I can't believe this is finally your senior year! You all grow up so fast! Soon you'll be in college, and – "

"Mom! We're leaving now!" I started walking towards the door to prove my point. If we had stayed any longer, she probably would have broken down into tears. That would have been embarrassing. My friends were all wearing awkward smiles, sharing in my discomfiture.

"Alright, honey! Stay safe and make good choices!"

I rolled my eyes at my mom's apprehension and opened the front door. "Yeah, mom."

Fang came up to me. "Make sure to use protection, too," he murmured in my ear, smirking. I punched him softly on the arm.

"I should be the one telling _you_ that," I replied. We all got into the stupid limo waiting outside of my house and rode to the stupid homecoming dance. I was _super_ excited, if you hadn't already guessed. Tonight was going to be the time of my life. Note sarcasm.

**~* O *~**

I instantly wanted to go home.

Music was blaring loudly the moment we stepped into the large gym. Lights were glaring throughout the room from the ceiling. High school students were milling around or grinding on the dance floor. And did the teachers care? Not one bit. Cheesy decorations and balloons lined the walls, showing that the homecoming theme this year was 'starry, starry night'. Pft. What a waste of time and effort.

But, I was here for Dylan. Even though he had made me come to this stupid dance, he was still the sweetest boyfriend. And I liked him enough.

Everyone went off in different directions with his or her date. Dylan took my hand and led me to the dance floor in the center of the gym, facing the stage and DJ. Right as we arrived, the fast-paced song playing had changed into one of those slow-dance songs. Ah, perfect timing.

Dylan stood in front of me and bowed. "May I have this dance?" he asked, extending his right hand. I smiled at his antics but instantly felt nervous. I had never really been the dancing person; I was too clumsy and could never hold a beat.

I curtsied, to go along with the charade, and took his outstretched hand with my left one. I placed my right hand on his shoulder, and he placed his left hand around my waist.

"If I step on your feet, know that it is not intentional and I have warned you beforehand."

Dylan smiled at me, and we started swaying. "It's fine, Max. Just follow my lead and I'll guide you." **(That's what she said…. Ah, gotta love those.)**

I let him guide me through the dance and I only stepped on his feet a few times. But you had to admit; dancing in heels was _hard_. I was itching to just take them off and chuck them as far as I could away from me, but then Nudge would kill me.

The song ended and Dylan stepped away from me. "I'm going to go the restroom, but I'll be back in a moment." He smiled and kissed me on the cheek, then left.

Not wanting to awkwardly stand by myself in the middle of the dance floor, I looked around to find any of my friends and found Ella and Iggy sitting at one of the tables at the side of the gym. I joined them and sat down, but they didn't notice me; their heads were close together and they looked deep in conversation. I smiled. They were good for each other.

I looked around to try and spot any of my other friends, and found Fang. He was slow-dancing with Lissa on the dance floor, her head resting on his chest. I felt a pang in my chest and had to look away.

I oddly felt…. saddened. As if I didn't like seeing Fang hold someone else that intimately. But why? Why would I care if he danced with anybody? He was my best friend; I should have been happy to see him with someone. Nevertheless, it was almost as if I were disappointed.

I shook my thoughts and began to absentmindedly zone out. Minutes passed by, and soon it was about fifteen minutes since I had last seen Dylan. I looked up to find that Iggy and Ella weren't in their spots anymore. They probably got up to go somewhere more private and were too entranced in each other to take notice of me.

But I began to worry about Dylan. He said that he would have been back in a few minutes, right? Well, he clearly wasn't here.

I got up to go and see if I could find him. Maybe he was just talking to a friend in the hallway and lost track of time.

I left the gym and headed out into the hallway, only to see Dylan huddled closely with someone leaning against the wall. I furrowed my eyebrows and stepped closer, wanting to get a better look.

Approaching, I saw that he was _kissing_ the person leaning against the wall. Actually, kissing was too nice a term. More like attacking her mouth with his own. I heard my own gasp. I couldn't believe it. This was _Dylan_; always the gentleman, careful with my feelings. He always respected me and treated me as if I were a princess. And though we had only dated for a little less than a month, I thought that Dylan was the one for me. I thought that what we had was special; that it would last and be strong. But _apparently not_.

Dylan heard my gasp and jerked back from whomever he was kissing. Giving the girl a second glance, I saw that she was none other than Maya. Class-A slut. _No wonder_.

I backed away a few steps, hoping Dylan wouldn't see my hurtful expression. I didn't want him to see me crushed. I could _not _cry in front of him.

Dylan looked like a deer in the headlights. "I – uh – Max. I can explain." He scratched at his head, avoiding eye contact.

I gave him my best glare and folded my arms over my chest. I wanted to cover what I really felt on the inside: hurt. Crushed. And now humiliated. "Yeah, I can explain too, _Dylan."_ I put as much venom into his name as I possible could. "You were obviously making out with some easy whore here and just totally forgot about me. I _completely _understand."

Maya cocked her head to the side and smirked at me. "Is this your girlfriend, Dylan?"

"Ex," I made clear. I gave one more look at Dylan, who looked miserable. I then turned on my heel and stalked away, trying to keep whatever dignity I had left. I needed to get out of there so they wouldn't see me break down. I wouldn't give them that satisfaction.

I turned the corner. As soon as I was sure they couldn't see me anymore, I tore my heels off and ran down the hallway. I didn't know where I was going. I just didn't want anyone to find me. Finding another empty hallway, feeling tired, alone, and depressed, I leaned against the wall and slid down. I pulled my knees to my chest and put my head in my hands. Tears unwillingly started to pour out.

You would think that I could have handled this better; that I could have been strong and easily gotten over this. But no. I've never had much dating experience. Actually, Dylan was my first boyfriend – ever. _And now, my first heartbreak_. I thought glumly. So _this_ it what it felt like. I had always made fun of girls in books and movies who would cry over past boyfriends and lovers, considering them wimps. So I guess that classified me as a wimp now. But I just didn't care anymore.

I didn't know how long I had stayed like that until I heard footsteps approaching me from down the hall. They were almost silent, but I could just barely hear them. I kept my face in my hands, knowing the makeup Nudge had plastered on my face was probably all messed up now.

The person stopped in front of me and knelt down. I still refused to look up. "Go away, whoever you are," I mumbled, my voice sounding tired and broken.

"Max, look at me." The voice sounded like a melody to my ears, almost calming me. I knew that voice from anywhere. But I didn't want him to see me in my current state: pathetic and broken.

I kept my head down. The tears were all dried now, but I'm pretty sure I looked like someone from _Night of the Living Dead_. "Please. Leave me alone, Fang."

But Fang stayed where he was. He gently pried my hands away from my face, and I let him. He held onto my hands and pulled me up to my feet. "Come on," he said, keeping ahold of one my hands and dropping the other one. He started walking and I followed him.

I gave him a questioning look. "Where are we going?" I asked, seeing as we were walking in the opposite direction of the gym. Not like I wanted to go there anyway.

Fang's mouth quirked up on one side as he still looked ahead. "You'll see."

"What about Lissa?"

"What about her?"

"Aren't you, you know, sort of ditching her?"

"Don't worry about her. I set her up with Sam, and she looked pretty happy."

Soon he led me outside and into the parking lot. Fang had led us to outside of the school, but then he stopped. He kept ahold of my one hand and place my other one on his shoulder. He then placed his free hand on my waist, almost as if we were going to… dance?

"Fang, what are we doing?" I asked. Why did he take me out here?

Fang smirked at me as we started moving in a rhythmic motion. "What does it look like we're doing?"

"Dancing?"

"Congratulations. You can depict the obvious."

I rolled my eyes and smiled. "Seriously, though. How did you find me?"

The smirk slightly fell from Fang's face and he looked away. "I saw you leave the gym, and then a few minutes later Dylan and Maya walked in hand in hand. I figured something was up. But you never came back."

My heart clenched again and I stepped back from Fang, glaring at the ground below me. Dylan didn't even regret it. He didn't try to apologize, didn't try to come after me. No. He went back with stupid Maya, _hand in hand_. Did I not mean anything to him? At all?

Fang cupped my chin gently and forced me to look up at him. But then I couldn't look away. His eyes were so dark a brown that they looked black. They almost seemed to be sparkling, too. But I have looked into his eyes thousands of times before. Why did they seem different now?

"Max, Dylan isn't worth it. He doesn't deserve your tears. He doesn't deserve _you_. He's an asshole, and that's not your fault," Fang said in a soft tone, even though we were the only ones out here.

I buried my face into Fang's chest, needing his comfort. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer to him. I closed my eyes in comfort. Fang was the best friend anyone could ask for. Even in my most vulnerable moments, he was always there for me. My steady rock.

"Thanks, Fang. For being out here with me and everything." I expected him to say something snarky about my tacky statement, but he didn't say anything sardonic.

"I'll always be here for you, Max."

Wow. And I thought that _I _was being cheesy. But I actually liked what he had said. It felt good to know that Fang cared for me and looked after me like that. My heart did a little flip at the thought and I had to steady my breathing. Wait, what? Why was I reacting this way? I had always felt at ease around Fang, never worrying about how I looked or if I were embarrassing myself. But now, I was wondering what he thought of me, seeing me like this. But this was _Fang_. He has already seen me at my worst. Why the sudden nervousness now?

And as I was embraced in his arms, I couldn't help but relish in how comfortable it felt. I hated to admit it but I loved the feel of him around me with those strong arms. I loved the feel of being pressed against his hard chest. Wait, why was I thinking this? He was my _best friend_. I couldn't have anything more than brotherly love for him…. could I?

I pulled my head away from Fang's chest, but wrapped my arms around his waist. I looked up to study his face, trying to see if anything else about him has changed. What was so different about him now?

His dark, shaggy hair fell a little past his ears and looked unkempt, but it seemed to suit him. He had flawless tan skin that I was sure anybody would kill for. But then I noticed that Fang actually looked good. As in, he was _attractive_. Had I always overlooked this, thinking nothing more?

I saw that Fang had been watching me study him. His eyes were watching me with speculation, questioning me. "My good looks just now dawning on you, Max?" he asked, giving me that smirk of his.

I blushed, thinking how his statement actually seemed more accurate than he could have accounted for. But seeing him smile almost took my breath away.

I couldn't seem to form any coherent thoughts, so I simply shook my head. I had the sudden urge to lean forward, closer to him, to…. kiss him? But then what would he think? Would he push me away, recoiling in disgust? Or would he maybe reciprocate my actions?

Fang raised his eyebrows in question at my silence. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

I shook my head again, wanting the butterflies in my stomach to go away. "Never mind. Let's go back inside." I released my arms around him and tried to move away from but he only tightened his arms around me.

"What's wrong?" Fang looked down at me, worry harboring in his eyes. He was always able to see through me so well. I was never able to hide anything from him.

I averted my eyes. I didn't want him to see that my discomfort was coming from _him_. What would he think? I didn't want to ruin our friendship. He was my best friend; I couldn't lose him.

"Is it Dylan? If it helps, I took care of him for you," Fang said in a comforting voice.

My head snapped up, but a slow smile spread across my face. "Why? What did you do?"

Fang smiled, seeing as I was smiling now. "Let's just say he had to go home a little early tonight."

I gasped in mock horror and pushed him back, still smiling. "Fang! I can't believe you would do such a thing. I don't think we can be friends anymore," I said with a dramatic voice.

Fang caught on and smirked, taking a step towards me. "You might want to take that back, Maxie."

"Or what?" I asked innocently, taking a step back.

"Or I might have to tickle you." Fang grinned knowingly. My eyes widened. He knew how ticklish I was and how I hated being tickled; especially by _him_.

Taking another step back, I said, "Not if you can't catch me!" I turned around and ran. Good thing I had taken off my heels earlier. I heard Fang take off after me and I giggled, exhilarated by the feeling of being chased. Dylan was long-forgotten.

I felt he was gaining on me as we weaved our way through the parking lot. Not too many cars were here since many people had arrived in limos or other fancy rides.

Suddenly I felt Fang's arms wrap around me as he slowed to a stop. I turned around to face him and try to push him away, but he was too strong and started to tickle me on my sides. I burst out in laughter. "F-f –fang! You," I let out a laugh, " you j-jerk!"

Eventually he stopped after I had attempted to swat at him. My laughs settled down and soon we were engulfed in silence.

I looked at Fang and noticed that I didn't even think about Dylan. Fang just made me _laugh_ after I had seen my _boyfriend_ making out with another girl. How did he do that? He always seemed to make me feel better whenever I was sad or depressed.

"Thanks," I said, knowing he would understand what I meant, and I leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. Then I froze, realizing what I had just done. Fang and I were close friends, but we had never done anything like _that_ before.

I stared, gaping at Fang, as he lifted his hand to his cheek and looked at me. I looked down at the ground and started stuttering, "I – uh – crap! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that, I just– "

I was interrupted when I felt a pair of warm lips on mine. My eyes snapped up to Fang and saw that his eyes were closed. I would have jerked back in shock if it weren't for the fact this his arms were wrapped around me.

I froze, not knowing what to do. This was _Fang_, my _best friend_, kissing me. And surprisingly, his mouth felt good on mine.

All too soon, Fang pulled away, his face practically glowing. But then it dimmed when he saw my shocked expression. Fang sighed. "Shit. I shouldn't have done that." He ran a hand through his hair and looked away.

I put my hand to my lips, still feeling the tingling feeling. I almost felt disappointed that Fang had pulled away. I nearly wanted to go up and kiss him again. But I held back at the moment, confused as to why I was feeling this way about Fang, and why he even kissed me in the first place.

"Fang…. why did you do that?"

Fang took a deep breath and looked at me. His eyes looked… sad. Dejected. Was it because of my reaction?

"Just forget about it, Max. It was a mistake. I should probably go." He stepped away from me and started to walk but I quickly grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Wait, Fang. Don't go." I wanted to sort out whatever _this_ was. I didn't want to ruin my friendship with Fang. And now, even though I was confused about how and why I was reacting to Fang the way I was, I still needed him. Maybe I needed him now more than I ever did. It was as if I were seeing Fang in a completely new light, one I had never even thought to see before. **(GAH, MY EYES!) **

Fang turned to me with raised eyebrows, waiting for me to say whatever I needed to say.

"Fang… I don't know what to do." I dropped his hand and looked away. I couldn't look at him now, or else I would maybe start freaking out. I needed to be calm. "You're my best friend. You always have been, and only that. But now, I don't know. I don't know what to think now, or what to say. I'm just confused about you. About us."

Fang grabbed my chin and softly pulled my head up to look at him. And I once again noticed how deep and dark his eyes were, looking right through me. His expression was understanding and sympathetic, not sad like it was moments ago. "Okay. So what do you feel when I do this?" He glided his thumb over my cheek, caressing it. I instantly felt something in the pit of my stomach and I blushed, not used to Fang's being touchy like this.

I gulped. "It feels… weird. Something I've never really felt before." _And not even with Dylan_, I noted.

"What about this?" Fang bent down and kissed me on my cheek. I felt my stomach get even queasier. How was it possible to hate this but love it at the same time? I didn't even understand.

"Still weird," I commented, averting my gaze. I couldn't even maintain eye contact with my own best friend! Why was I feeling so uneasy around Fang? I didn't know what to think.

Fang gazed at me, as if looking through me and understanding how I was feeling. How I seemed to almost yearn for him, even though I've never even remotely felt like this around him before. Could he see how I was battling with my emotions?

"Or what about this?" He gave me one more meaningful look before cupping my cheek with his hand and kissing me on the lips. A sigh escaped from me unintentionally and I closed my eyes. I felt an overwhelming desire for Fang and I suddenly got it. I finally understood why I was harboring all these thoughts and contemplations about Fang. I _liked _him. And I was too narrow-minded to have realized earlier.

And he liked me back.

Now knowing what to do and not having the urge to panic anymore, I wrapped my arms around his neck and brought myself closer to him. Fang froze for a second, and then wrapped his other arm tightly around my waist.

We stayed like that for almost a minute, but then I pulled away, needing to breathe. I looked over at Fang and saw his gratified face. I smiled, feeling content myself.

"So is this new for you, too? The feelings, I mean." I wanted to know. Did he have feelings for me, when I was going out with Dylan or even before? Or was realization just now hitting in like it was for me?

Fang shook his head. "I've always known how I felt about you. I just didn't want to tell you, in case you wouldn't want to be friends anymore."

I instantly felt guilty. All this time? He had been there for me, whether I was telling him how hot I thought Ryan Gosling was, or telling him how Dylan has asked me out and then how amazing of a boyfriend he was. But Fang took it and maintained the role of my best friend.

"Fang – " I started, but Fang interrupted me.

"Don't worry about it," he said, smiling. "I was happy as long as you were my best friend. And you still are my best friend. What we do now is up to you."

My heart tugged. How I had always overlooked him? Dylan had nothing on Fang. And then I realized, _Fang was perfect for me_. He had always been there for me. And now I knew what I wanted.

"I want to still be best friends." Fang nodded, accepting this but looking disappointed. "But I also want to be more than friends." His head snapped up, and then he gave me a breathtaking grin. Nothing ever looked more beautiful.

He took my hand and squeezed it. He then got down on one knee and kissed my hand. "Be my girlfriend?" he asked, giving me that look of his.

I pretended to think about it for a moment and looked to the sky as I tapped my finger against my chin. Shrugging, I replied nonchalantly, "Sure. Why not."

Fang shook his head to himself, still smiling, and got up. "Typical. You had to ruin the romantic moment."

"What? That was supposed to be romantic? Could have fooled me." I felt more comfortable going back to the easy talk, the bantering, that we always had. Feeling confused about your own feelings was _not_ fun.

Fang took a step closer to me. "Don't make me tickle you again."

I gasped and took a step back. "You wouldn't again…. would you?"

"Oh, I would. So you better start running. Like now."

I hesitated not one second and took off. _If he kept threatening to tickle me like this, I didn't think that I'd be able to keep a relationship with him_, I thought to myself. But deep down, I knew that wouldn't be true.

Fang finally caught me. Instead of tickling me, he turned me around and kissed me hard. _I could get used to this._ Dylan long-gone from my mind, I knew that Fang was it for me.

He would always be it for me.

And we lived happily ever after and all that shit. The end.

**~* O *~**

**Eh… I don't know about you guys, but this chapter was boring to me. After reading over it, I was like 'geez, this crap is even more agonizingly painful than usual!' I swear the idea for this chapter sounded a lot better in my head. What did you guys think?**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! You guys make my day! :D**

**Any ideas about what I could do for a chapter? Give me your thoughts!**

**~ aalaal **


	6. ChApTeR sIx

**Me no owny Maximum Ride.**

**~* O *~**

Shutting my eyes, I lay back in my chair and felt the sun's rays wash over me. I could hear the cry of seagulls as they soared above me; the roaring of the waves as they crashed into the sand; the faint hum of people as they walked and chattered all around me. I finally felt at peace, with Fang beside me.

Fang and I opted to drive down to the beach this weekend because the weather was suitable enough. With the stress of senior year and college applications, we felt that this diminutive vacation was necessary for our sanity.

Disrupting my tranquility, strong arms snaked under my knees and back, picking me up. My eyes snapped open and instantly zoomed in on Fang's smirking face. "Fang! Put me down! Couldn't you see I was in my comfort zone?"

"People don't come to the beach to sleep, Max. They come here to swim, play in the sand, party, actually do something _fun_…." Fang drifted off and started walking to the water with me still in his arms. Comprehension dawned on me as I realized what he was going to do.

"Fang, don't you dare! I swear I am going to kill you slowly and painfully!" I wiggled to try and get out of his grasp, but his arms tightened around me even more.

He gave me an all-knowing smile and stopped walking when the water went up to his knees. "I'd say that's a little too violent for my liking."

"I'll spare your life if you put me down!"

Fang looked off into the distance and pretended to contemplate my request. Glancing back at me, he shrugged. "Put you down? Alright." Suddenly I was flying through the air as he tossed me out of his arms. All too soon I came down and plunged into the cold ocean, seawater effectively entering my mouth and eyes.

I shot out of the water and began coughing, trying to erase the vulgar taste of seawater from my mouth. Instantly I felt chills, with the cold water's dripping off me and the airy breeze's brushing by me. I rubbed at my eyes due to the slight stinging and turned to glare at Fang. "Prepare to die, you piece of scum."

Fang chuckled. "That's not a very nice thing to say to your boyfriend."

I cocked my head and situated my hands on my hips. "Boyfriend? All I see in front of me is a dickwad." Of course I wasn't really mad. I just loved to verbally abuse him.

"Correction. A very sexy dickwad."

"Correction. A very sexy _arrogant _dickwad."

"So you admit that I'm sexy?"

"Being sexy doesn't conceal your true trait: assholeyness.

"Assholeyness? I'm pretty sure that isn't a real word. And I don't think dickwad is, either."

"Go get your master's degree in English already! I don't giving a flying flip."

Fang approached me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Aw, is wittle Maxie mad? Is big, old Fang being a meanie-head?"

"No, that's too nice a term to accurately describe you. But since your vocabulary is fairly limited, we can use it just for your sake." I smiled innocently up at him, snaking my arms around his neck.

Fang gave a low chuckle. "Ha-ha. You're hilarious. Why are we dating, again?"

"Because without me, your life would be one miserable void of nothingness." I went on, my voice growing more dramatic, "I am the light of your life! The joy of your existence! The – "

"Shut up, already." Fang rolled his eyes.

I leaned closer to him until my mouth was hovering right in front of his left ear. "Make me," I whispered, and then pulled back. I smirked, having the pleasure of eliciting a small shiver from him.

Fang's eyes darkened marginally and gripped me tighter. The smile fading from my face, I gazed deeply into his eyes and he likewise; it felt as if he were looking right through me.

He bent his head down to be even with mine and crashed his mouth into mine. All I could feel and taste was bliss. _I would never get tired of this._

**~* O *~**

The beach was having a concert that night with a local rock band. A stage was set up on the shore, nothing too elaborate, and people lined up all around the stage in clumps. With the intensity of the music, many people were dancing like they would at a club. And, well, what a lovely picture _that_ was.

The sun had already set and the stars all glimmered in the night sky. The temperature noticeably dropped and a not-so-soft breeze swept through the air. I had only brought a shirt and shorts to cover up my bathing suit, so Fang kindly offered me his jacket for use. Cue the _awww's_.

Since Fang and I both detested being in close proximity with vast amounts of people, we maintained our distance from the stage but were still in range of the stage and band. Fang stood behind me with arms wrapped tightly around me as I leaned against his chest. With the heat's radiating from his chest, I almost didn't need Fang's jacket for warmth.

"You know the lead singer of that band? He's pretty hot. I wonder if he's single…?" I teased Fang, pretending to stare admiringly at the lead singer.

Fang looked down at me and glared. I smiled innocuously up at him and shrugged my shoulders. "He probably has a girlfriend, though. I guess that means I'm stuck with you."

Fang rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know, life's tough."

"Yeah, I know right? Today I had to come to the beach with this poser…. I don't think you'd want to meet him. He thinks he's so cool and all this crap. I absolutely can _not_ stand him." My voice was laced with faux bitchiness and attitude. I inspected my nails and looked up at Fang from under my eyes.

"Yeah, I know how that feels. I came to the beach today with the queen of bitches. Total diva, spoiled. You wouldn't want to meet her."

I laughed and kicked my heel backwards against his shin. Psh. Mellifluously, of course. Wouldn't want to hurt my boyfriend dearest.

He faintly grunted, and I smiled triumphantly at his pain. "Don't be a wimp. That wasn't even hard," I told him.

"Whatever. I'm gonna go to the restroom, so I'll be right back." He released his hold of me and took a step away.

"A bit random. Couldn't you have gone, say, ten minutes ago, when we were actually walking right by the restrooms?"

"Yeah, if I actually had to _go _ten minutes ago. I'm leaving now. Try not to hit on too many guys for my sake." With a wink, he turned to leave. I rolled my eyes after him, even though he couldn't see me, and looked around for a chair to sit in. You're probably speculating why I didn't just walk with him. Simply, I was too lazy. Case adjourned.

I sat down in a nearby chair since my legs were beginning to tire from standing, and I just didn't want to awkwardly stand by myself. I closed my eyes, fatigue starting to wash over me.

A few minutes later, footsteps in the sand approached me and stopped right in front of me. Not expecting Fang to get here so soon, I opened to my eyes, only to meet a dissimilar pair of brown eyes.

I raised my brow and quickly evaluated him, noticing his tortoiseshell eyes, chestnut hair, and tan skin. "Any particular reason you're standing right in front of me? I do appreciate personal space."

"Hey, I'm Sam," he said chirpily and held out his hand to shake, either oblivious to or disregarding my remark.

"Max," I replied in a jaded tone, wondering why he was still standing there. I wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone other than Fang that night. I stared at his hand until he put it back at his side. He still had that stupid smile on his face!

"So, what's a hot chick like yourself doing out here all alone?" His smile and voice were what I supposed were attempts at seduction. Hint: _attempts_. Gag.

Bitch, please. My seven-year-old brother could come up with a better pick-up line than _that_ one. Good try, buddy. "Chirping." I made a few bird calls and put my hand to my ear, appearing to listen for returning bird calls. He looked at me with a blank expression. "You know, since I'm a chick and all," I justified. Please just think I'm a tad mental and walk away already. Like now.

But to no avail. He crouched down until we had equal eye level, and was _still _invading my damn personal space. "That's cute. I'm liking you already."

"The feeling's not mutual. Please leave me alone now," I grumbled. Couldn't this guy take a stupid hint? How thick was his skull?

"Aw, playing hard to get, baby? That's cool. I like games." He rested his hand on my leg and started rubbing back and forth.

I resisted a shudder and smacked his hand away. "Dude. Me no likey you. Get the hell away from me and stay the hell away from me. Got it? Now shoo." I made shooing motions with my hand, hoping he would just leave already. He didn't.

He grabbed my hand and jerked me to my feet. His smile had vanished and now he appeared marginally menacing. I wouldn't admit that out loud, of course.

"Listen, babe – " he started, but I interrupted him.

"No, _you _listen. I'm clearly not interested, don't fucking call me 'babe', and if you would so kindly let go of my fucking arm, that would be wonderful."

Sam glared at me now, and his grasp on my arm only tightened. "You little bitch." He slapped me across the face. I gasped, not from pain, but from surprise. What has this guy been smoking?

I designed to kick him in the balls, but his other arm snaked around my waist and jerked me right to him before I could. The hand gripping my arm let go and grabbed the back of my head instead. He shoved my head towards his head and attacked my mouth with his.

I thrashed and fought to escape his grasp on me, but he ceased to let go and I couldn't move away. His tongue fought its way into my mouth and I fought another gag. His breath reeked of alcohol and tobacco. His arm around my waist squeezed it harder and pain erupted on my side.

It was getting hard to breathe and his attack on my mouth was relentless. Why did he have to be so damn strong? And how the hell hasn't anyone noticed what was going on here? Was the concert really _that_ intriguing?

I bit down hard on his lip, anticipating him to pull back, but he angrily grunted and, if possible, kissed me harder. I was beginning to see stars…. not in the _good_ way, morons.

Suddenly, he jerked back and his grasp on me released. I doubled over and put my hands on my knees, letting out a gasp and trying to compose my breathing.

"Don't _touch_ her, you son of a bitch," sounded an angry voice - Fang's -, and I heard a few punches and someone's hitting the floor harshly. I looked up and saw Fang's standing over a now unconscious Sam, animosity fixed on his face. He looked at me and his countenance softened.

In a few quick strides he approached me and enveloped me in his arms. I wrapped my own arms around him and leaned my head against his firm chest. "Are you okay?" he breathily asked, worry and concern laced into his voice.

Not trusting my voice, still in shock of what had just happened, I mutely nodded. Fang stepped back and placed his hands on my shoulders, assessing me. "Did he hurt you? Touch you anywhere else?"

I shook my head and glanced away, ashamed that he had to see me in such a vulnerable state. I always wanted to be robust and in control. I _loathed _being weak, being unable to do anything. And here I was, unable to help myself. I felt pathetic.

I felt a hand gently grab my chin and force me to look up. "Hey," Fang said.

"Hey," I said back, sulking.

"You sure you're alright?"

I chuckled without humor. "Just peachy."

"I shouldn't have left you here by yourself... what if something worse had happened? What if I didn't come when I had?"

"I'm not five years old, Fang. I can take care of myself. I was just about to go all ninja on him, but of course you had to ruin my chance. Thanks a lot."

Fang smirked. "_That's _the thanks I get for practically saving your life? I think you can do a little better."

I dramatically sighed and rolled my eyes. "Fine, you whiner." I leaned in as slowly as I could, trying to annoy Fang. He grew impatient and finally closed the distance between us. Unlike Sam's lips, Fang's were soft, sweet, and gentle.

Beaches. Gotta love 'em.

**~* O *~**

**Yeah, I didn't really know where to end it, so I just stopped it there.**

**So sorry for the long wait! School has been kicking my butt lately! Especially math and chemistry… I absolutely HATE those classes.**

**Thanks for all the reviews! :D**

**Valentine's Day is going to be the next chapter! Any ideas on what I should do? Seriously, I have no idea what to do for that one! I want it to be cheesy to the extreme, making you want to gauge your eyes out!**

**~ aalaal**


	7. ChApTeR sEvEn

**Me no owny Maximum Ride.**

**~* O *~**

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BE-

I whacked my alarm clock and shifted in my bed to find another comfortable position. Mmmm, just ten more minutes…

"MAX! Get up! School starts in fifteen minutes!" My mother was shaking me awake as she practically yelled in my ear. I opened my eyes and blinked groggily as the blinding light from my room pierced my eyes.

"I don't wanna go to school today," I mumbled almost incoherently. And especially _today _of all days. Want to predict what today was? The end of the world? Close guess, but good try. It was _Valentine's Day_. And Tuesday. Hurrah.

"Max, I know you don't want to go, but you're going to have to. Now get up, or you're not getting any chocolate chip waffles." She patted my head and stood up to leave. My eyes widened and I jumped out of bed, precipitously filled with renewed vitality. Once my mother had left my room, I scrambled to change out of my pajamas and into my jeans, converse, and hoodie.

I all but ran down the stairs after dressing and brushing my teeth and scarfed down the waffles without sitting down. After I had finished my last bite, my energy and adrenaline noticeably diminished. Peering at the clock on the kitchen wall, I perceived that I had only ten minutes left to get to school. Mission accepted.

"Have a good day at school, Max!" my mother called out to me as I grabbed my backpack and bounded for the door. Yeah right, Mom. Knowing what today was? Definitely not a good day.

**~* O *~**

After parking my car in the senior section and sprinting through the parking lot, I didn't have time to stop at my locker. I raced through the door to my first period a second before the bell had rung.

"Miss Ride, finally cared enough to arrive on time? How remarkable. Have a seat." My teacher, Mr. Brown, turned to the board and began preaching about something encompassing history.

I sighed in relief and took my seat at the back of the room. Usually I wasn't so determined to arrive on time for school, but since I had exceeded the threshold of tardies for this semester, my next tardy would result in my having to come to Saturday school for the next month. Bright and early in the morning. See my predicament? Yeah. No freaking way.

Class droned on and I spent the time on my school-provided laptop reading fanfiction. Taking notes? Psh. That's for pansies.

In the middle of class, a man carrying a huge bouquet of flowers entered our room. "These are for," he looked at the card that accompanied the bouquet, "Susie?"

Susie, a short girl with blue eyes and slick-straight brown hair, provided a very pig-like squeal and stood up. "That's me, that's me!" It was as if she were a child who had just won a sweepstakes for a luxury cruise, holding her hand up and virtually jumping in her spot. An immense smile was plastered onto her face. I rolled my eyes. Prototypical cheerleader. **(I don't mean any offense! :p )**

The man approached Susie and handed her the bouquet, eyeing her apprehensively, and quickly left the room. Yeah, I'd be a bit worried about her, too.

She read the note on the bouquet and hugged the flowers to her chest, sighing dreamily. "Oh my gosh, these are from Harry! **(I DID THIS JUST FOR YOU, SUSIE! HEHE) **Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!" She gave another squeal and sniffed the flowers, sighing once more. Gag. And this was why I hated Valentine's Day.

Mr. Brown gave an intentional cough and scowled at Susie. "Do I have your permission to continue with the lesson, or do you need another few minutes?" Attaboy, Mr. Brown.

Susie paused to contemplate for a moment and then sat back down in her seat. All of her friends began whispering with her, and Mr. Brown reverted back to teaching.

Valentine's Day was too mushy and cliché for my liking. The candy, the gifts, the confessions; they all made we want to gag. Well, except for the candy. I'd blithely accept candy from any idiot. And a message to all those girls who have complained about how lonely it was being single on Valentine's Day: Shut up. Seriously. Nobody cared. Instead, embrace the solitude! Happy Single Awareness Day, losers!

The bell finally rang, and everyone bounded out of his or her seats, all too enthusiastic to escape. Mr. Brown went to the door and called out, "No PDA! Or I will destroy each and every one of you!" That's my history teacher for you.

Being the last one left in the room, I stood up and slowly put my laptop into my black Under Armour backpack. Eh, there was no rush getting to my next class. Nothing too sensational awaited me there.

With a head nod to Mr. Brown, I departed the classroom and abruptly bumped into someone. Having my head collide with his chest (I presumed the person was a guy because his chest was hard and flat), I stepped back and rubbed my forehead. Ouch.

"Watch where you're going," I said through my teeth, glaring up at whoever had dared to enter my path, only to see that it was Fang. My heart started beating faster, and my breath hitched.

Why was this happening? I've been reacting this way around Fang lately, and it really bugged me. He has always been my best friend. Why did I now feel more self-conscious and insecure about myself when around him? I didn't comprehend why, but I tried to shove the sentiment down.

Fang's semblance of concern, for he didn't know it was I whom he had bumped into until now, dropped and was superseded by a grin. "I could say the same for you, since _you're_ the one who had bumped into me."

I opened my mouth to retort back but was interposed by a, "Hey, Fang!" Fang and I both turned to the owner of the voice, only to see a girl whose name has absconded me. I crossed my arms over my chest, a bit incensed at her interrupting me, and Fang lifted an eyebrow.

The girl clasped her hands in front of herself and looked down at the ground. Aw, the poor girl was embarrassed. How funny. "I was wondering if you wanted to be my Valentine," she spoke to the floor, a blush spreading over her cheeks.

Ha. What a sucker. I knew it was Valentine's Day and all, but did people really go around and ask that? And he wouldn't say yes, would he? Gosh, I hoped not. He should just tell her no, and then she could go home crying. Yeah, good plan. But then, why would I care if he said yes or not? I was just, and only, his best friend. Nothing more.

Fang regarded her and finally responded with, "Sorry, but I already have a Valentine." My head snapped up as well as the other girl's. He…. already had a Valentine? Disappointment flared through me, and I tried to maintain an impartial countenance. I didn't feel…. jealous… did I?

The girl, however, openly displayed her own disappointment and dropped her head. "Oh, okay. Sorry for asking." She turned around and trudged away, leaving Fang and me in an uncomfortable silence.

"Look, Max, I was – "

"Uh, I should probably get going to my next class. See ya, Fang." I didn't wait for a response and walked down the hall to my locker. Glancing back as I did the combination, I observed Fang's giving me a quizzical look before heading off in the other direction.

I fathomed that he knew something was up, but I was thankful that he didn't try to follow after me. After his small 'confession', I felt like I just needed to get away from there and get away from him. The consideration of his having a Valentine just… perturbed me somehow. I didn't like it.

Opening my locker, I was astounded to discover a bouquet of white iris flowers sitting on top of my books. They were my favorite flowers. Who would have done this? I wasn't necessarily the warmest kid on the block. I closed my locker, leaving the flowers in there, and walked to my next class.

I tried narrowing my possibilities as to who would do this, thinking back to my friends. Iggy? Nope, he was dating Ella. Gazzy? Nope, dating Nudge. Dylan? Nope, dating Maya. Ari? Nope, dating Angel. And Fang? Haha, what a joke. I knew he wasn't interested in me like that, and he said so himself that he already had a Valentine. I felt another pang in my chest and tried to plunge the feeling down again.

So I concluded that the bouquet must have been from some timid underclassman, since I didn't see any other probabilities. I could deal with that.

**~* O *~**

Lunch finally came around but I was marginally dreading it. Lunch was the pinnacle of all sappiness and mushy grossness, where everyone would be passing out his or her flowers and treats and other romantic crap. Also, I'd have to face Fang.

I bought my lunch and sat down at our usual table. Since I took my sweet time getting over here, all of my other friends were already sitting down eating their lunches. The only available spot was next to Fang. Go figure.

Generally I would have been delighted to sit next to Fang, but with the disappointment and awkwardness of today, I desired the contrary.

Fang gave me a smile, and it made my heart thud faster. Could I just blame my girly reactions on my hormones? That's what every other fictional female character did, so I guess I could to it too. Curse you, hormones!

I forced a smile back, yearning to at least attempt and make everything seem normal between us. He raised an eyebrow (he was really good at doing that), apparently discerning my discomposure. I shook my head and reimbursed my attention to the rest of the table.

Lunch went by and as soon as I had finished my pizza, Fang nudged me. I glanced up at him in question, and he jerked his thumb to the door. Realizing that he wanted us to leave early, I nodded and got up to throw my trash away. Fang did the equivalent and shortly we were out of the cafeteria.

In the hallway Fang gently grabbed my arm to stop me from walking farther down the hall. I gyrated around to gaze at him and situated my hands in the pocket of my sweatshirt.

"You okay?" he simply asked, examining me with speculation.

I shrugged, trying to appear indifferent. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just hate Valentine's Day and everything about it, you know?"

Fang glanced at the floor for a second, and I would have sworn I saw a flash of dejection cross his face. But I must have imagined it, since his face went back to its usual impassiveness. But there was a certain gleam in his eyes. "So, you found a bouquet of flowers in your locker, right?"

"Uh…. yes?"

"Well, I – "

"Max, Fang!" We both turned to see Iggy and Ella's approaching us. "We were wondering where you guys went!" Ella elucidated.

"Probably to find somewhere more private to, you know…" Iggy wiggled his eyebrows and Ella burst out laughing. Heat flared on my cheeks and I glared at him. Detecting my look, Iggy quickly said, "And they want some more alone time! Come on, bunny." He hurriedly grabbed Ella's hand and absconded.

I glared at the floor, refusing to meet Fang's gaze. Way to make this awkward, Iggy. As if planned, the bell rang and students starting pouring into the hallway. Aha, my escape!

"Later, Fang." I strolled in the direction of my locker but Fang swiftly snatched my hand again. Have I mentioned that I felt a spark of electricity whenever he touched me? No? Well, I did. And I didn't know if I liked it or not.

"Meet me afterschool at my locker, okay?" Fang looked me dead in the eye and this time I couldn't avert my gaze. I meekly nodded, and he let go of my hand. Giving me a small smile, he said, "See ya."

As he walked away (yes, I understood how creepy it was standing there watching after him), it dawned on me that he knew about the flowers. But I haven't even conveyed anything about them to anyone yet…?

**~* O *~**

After seeing many more insistences of sick mushiness from lovey dovey couples, at the end of the day I was ready to go up to any one of those couples and rip their stupid candy out of their stupid hands and throw it at their stupid cheerful faces. Jealousy, you think? You are mistaken! I, a one for jealousy? Psh, you must have the wrong person.

I didn't know whether to feel euphoric or nervous about meeting Fang by his locker. I mean, we were best friends, right? I shouldn't have been overanalyzing this. But that's precisely what I did throughout the periods after lunch. What was Fang going to say to me? Was it something imperative or significant? Ah crap. I was transfiguring into one of those sappy angst-ridden teenagers. Breathe in, breathe out. And no, it was not my time of the month, if that's what you were considering. That ended last week.

With a sigh, I took the flowers out before shutting my locker. Might as well take these home rather than let them rot away in my not-so-squeaky-clean locker.

I made my way over to Fang's locker, only to halt in my tracks. Brigid (class-A slut) was leaning into Fang, dragging her finger leisurely down his shirt. She inclined to kiss him and I looked away. Ah. So _that_ must have been his secret Valentine. Well, whoopdido for him. At least _he _didn't have to agonize too much on this cursed day like I did. At least _he _got to be happy, I guessed. Because I certainly wasn't throughout the day, and I certainly wasn't now.

Not desiring to be present any longer than necessary, I turned around, only to grasp that it was compulsory for me to walk down this hallway and pass freaking Brigid and Fang to get to the parking lot where my car was parked. Effff my life.

I began a quick pace and endeavored to go unnoticed as I zipped past them. Don't look at them, don't look at them.

"Max!" I heard Fang call out, but I kept my stride and didn't look back.

After what seemed like forever, the end of the hallway loomed before me. The bright sunlight embraced me as I opened the door. Ah, screw it. It should have been thundering and lightning for the sake of my temperament. I trashed the bouquet of flowers in the nearest garbage can and stalked off to my car. Ben and Jerry's? Definitely appropriate.

**~* O *~**

A thud from my window alerted my senses and I straightened up from my bed. After a pathetic afternoon of eating ice cream and reading on iwastesomuchtime, my temperament had augmented somewhat. Eh, the noise must have been some high squirrel.

Another thud followed the first one, and I sluggishly got out of my bed to see what the crap it was. Couldn't it see that I was wallowing in self-pity and solitude?

I opened my window, only to narrowly dodge an incoming rock. Getting back up to glare at whoever freaking did that, I saw that it was only Fang. He was sitting on the branch of a tree that hovered right in front of my window, holding a few rocks in his hand. I sighed, resting my elbow on the sill of the window. "What are you doing here, Fang?"

Disregarding my question, he inquired, "Can I come in?"

I rolled my eyes and waved him in. "Fine."

Smoothly sliding off the branch, he leapt through the window and landed in my room. Looking me up and down, he gave me that oh-so wonderful smirk of his. "Nice pajamas."

I glanced down at my black t-shirt and Phineas and Ferb pajama pants. "Nothing wrong with Phineas and Ferb," I countered defensively.

Fang chuckled but then his face grew serious. "So how come you didn't wait for me afterschool?"

I pretended to think about it and put a finger to my chin. "Hmm. Maybe it's because I didn't want to interrupt your little 'session' with Brigid? Wouldn't want to be rude."

Fang looked up for a moment and then back down at me. "Max, I swear I didn't know she was going to do that. She was asking me about the math homework and then suddenly tried to hit on me."

"Shouldn't you be explaining this to your 'Valentine' instead of me? I'm just your friend. I don't care if you date anybody or not." I attempted to sound resilient but my voice faintly hitched on the last part.

Fang shook his head and took a step closer to me. "You don't get it, do you, Max?"

I crossed my arms over my chest, peering at him. "No, I clearly don't."

He sighed and ran a hand through his beautiful-cough-hair. "You know the flowers you found in your locker? Those were from _me_. _I _got those for you. And when I told that girl about already having a Valentine? It was _you_. _You_ were supposed to be my Valentine, but I never had the chance to ask." Now he was looking me in the eye and I couldn't look away from his endearing gaze.

I felt shell-shocked, to say the least. And I was pretty sure flies could have caught in my wide-open mouth. Fang chose _me_? And he even beheld me in that way? I didn't know what to say.

I just stood there, gaping at him. "Max, say something," Fang urged, his eyes almost pleading.

"You – you – really?" was all I could get out.

Fang smiled. "Yes, really."

Feeling more confident now, I commanded, "Ask me, then."

"Ask you what?" Fang asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ask me what you wanted to ask me earlier."

Fang, finally comprehending what I meant, took my right hand and got down on one knee. "Maximum Martinez, will you do me the honor of being my Valentine?"

I smiled, shrugging. "Eh, why not."

Fang rolled his eyes and got up. Wrapping his arms around my waist, he leaned down and placed his lips on mine. I gasped at his forwardness, but soon relaxed into the kiss and relished in the feeling of his warm lips.

Pulling back, Fang beamed at me with his now-tousled hair and glimmering eyes. "Happy Valentine's Day, Max."

Best damn Valentine's Day I've ever had.

**~* O *~**

**Ah, cheesiness and unrealistic-like-ness. Don't know whether to throw up in it or embrace it.**

**Hello, hello! Happy (early) Single Awareness Day to you all! Don't feel all sad if you're single, because I'm single too! I've been single my whole life, and I've never even had my first kiss yet… I'm 15. Don't judge too harshly! I tell myself I'm just too intelligent for all the other guys :)**

**~ aalaal**


	8. ChApTeR eIgHt

**Me no owny Maximum Ride.**

**~* O *~**

"Hey Max, come dance with us! You've been sitting down this whole time." Angel gestured to our group of friends as they were fooling around (whoops, did I say fooling around? I meant dancing) like idiots on the dance floor. She offered me a sad smile, knowing why I wasn't in the mood to dance but still asking out of courtesy.

I shook my head and forced a small smile in return. "It's alright. Thanks, though."

Angel gave me once last glance before putting her ornate mask back over her face and returning to our friends. I gave a sigh and looked down at my own mask, which sat in my lap. I was at masquerade ball, if you hadn't have already guessed.

I didn't know why I even came to this dance, knowing I'd be miserable. Not as miserable as I have been at past dances, but bad enough. They reminded me too much of _him_, and I definitely did not need that.

_*Flashback*_

"_Wanna go to the dance with me?"_

_I almost choked from surprise and glanced up at him with wide eyes. I felt a taint blush spread across my facial expression and inwardly cursed. _

"_You-you mean as a date?" I stuttered, not looking him in the eye. Damn, I'm such an idiot. Why did I have to be so flustered around him all the time now? I finally admitted to myself that I was actually in love with my best friend, surprise surprise, but I didn't want to ruin our friendship or make it more awkward, so I reserved my feelings to myself and tried to appear as if nothing were different between us. _

_He placed his hands in his pockets and looked at his shoes. "Well, I mean, if you don't want to..." _

_To be daring, or not to be daring? Did this mean that he possibly somewhat liked me back? But, this was _he_ whom we were talking about. The one whom I've known practically my whole life. My best friend. _

"_It's okay. Let's go." I instantly wanted to cover my face up. Did I just agree to go as his date? Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid– _

"_Cool. I'll pick you up at seven?" he asked, glancing up at me. The simple movement made my heart flutter, and I tried to recoup a normal composure. _

_I nodded. "Yup. See ya. And don't forget to wear a tux, or I'm not coming." _

_He gave me that dazzling smirk which, yet _again_, made my heart flutter. "I won't disappoint you. But make sure to wear a hot dress for me." With that, he gave me a wink and strolled away. _

_I could just imagine myself blowing air in and out of a paper bag; I was_ that_ close to hyperventilating. Well damn. I blame this all on the hormones. Bleh…._

_*End flashback*_

I sighed again and looked up at all the other students as they laughed and danced and had a good time. I couldn't elude the nostalgia of him. Well, maybe I should just leave the dance and go home. I could come and pick everyone else up later when they were done, since we had used my car (limos/party buses are too mainstream) to get here.

Standing up, I instantly noticed a guy clad in black facing me. He was wearing a black mask that covered his face. His dark hair – oh gosh, it looked just like _his_. He looked just like _him. _But it couldn't' be _he_. That wasn't feasible.

Trying to retain a normal breathing rate, I cocked my head to the side. "Uh, anything I can help you with, or are you just appreciating the view?"

He instantly smirked. Oh, the agony, why did he have to look just like _him_? Having a nice laugh up there, o mighty universe? A good enough joke for ya?

The guy stepped back with one foot and gestured with his hand, silently asking for a dance. The music had slowed down and was now a soothing classical piece, perfect for the cliché slow/ballroom dancing.

I was about to decline, but something within me struggled against that. I opened my mouth to say 'no', to say anything, but no sound emanated from my mouth. Why couldn't I say it? What was holding me back? Appearing to him as a gaping fish out of water was probably not helping, either.

Oh, screw it all. One flippin' dance can't hurt. Sighing in defeat and acceptance, I put on my mask and took his hand. He soundlessly escorted me to the dance floor.

_*****__Flashback*_

_A soft tune sounded throughout the gym, peaceful and soothing. Couples lined along the dance floor, dancing slowly back and forth in harmony._

"_Dance with me?" he asked, offering his hand and beholding me with those unfathomable, onyx eyes. _

_I shook my head vigorously and stepped back. "You know I can't dance. Me plus dancing equals no way in hell." _

_I started to slowly inch away before he gently grabbed my wrist. "Oh no you don't," he said. Turning around, he started dragging me to where all the other couples were dancing. _

_I dug my heels into the ground but to no avail, muttering, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no…"_

_Reaching his destination, he twisted back to face me. He took my hand and placed it on his shoulder, before placing his own hand on my waist. His other hand released the grasp on my wrist only to intertwine his fingers with mine. _

_Speechless as I observed the whole thing, I peered at him in shock. Even after being best friends practically our whole lives, we had never been this intimate before. _

_He simply smiled at me. "Don't worry. Just follow my lead." And then we were off dancing, with my attempting to not step on his feet every two seconds. The places where his hands touched me (don't take this the wrong way, you perverts) were tingling with jolts of electricity, and it was almost undeniable I was blushing the entire time. _

_When the song had finally ended, we both stood there unmoving, seeing who would let go of the other first. I looked into his eyes and noticed a glint I had never seen before. Taking a deep breath, I moved to step back, but he tightened his grip around my waist._

"_You look beautiful," he murmured, his eyes never leaving mine. Oh hell. Cue the butterflies._

"_And I don't always?" I responded with a smirk, trying to keep it cool on the outside. Any voice crack? Nope! Point for Max._

_He remained unfazed and released my hand, bringing his thumb up to softly stroke my cheek. My smirk dropped as I watched his face gradually lean closer. _

"_Uh…?" I was beginning to worry a little here. I mean, there was no remote possibility that Fang could actually like me like me, right? Right….. _

"_Max?" he asked, his face mere centimeters from my own. _

"_Hmm?" I mumbled, incompetent of looking away or possessing any real, coherent thoughts. _

"_Close your eyes."_

_And I complied as his lips delicately pressed against mine._

_*End Flashback*_

I had to admit; dancing with this mystery guy wasn't too horrifying. Sure, I had a fear of stepping on his feet every few seconds, but it wasn't the end of the world for me. Although, I couldn't clear my mind of _him_. I don't think I'd ever be able to.

Glancing around the room casually (did I want to stare into the eyes of this stranger the entire time? Heck no! Too awkward for my taste), I noticed my friends all giving me that go-off-and-do-it-with-him-already look and a thumbs-up. I rolled my eyes and looked away.

I caught the gaze of the black-clad stranger, and he provided me a smirk. I deliberately stepped on his foot, making him suck in a breath. Is it bad that his smirk made my heart beat faster for 0.00000001 seconds? And I didn't even know the guy. Maybe I was starting to get a little delusional.

As we were dancing, I couldn't help but compare the guy to _him_. Nearly the same hair, skin, and body structure. My heart swelled once again at the thought of _him_, and I decided I couldn't dance with this stranger anymore. The similarities were all too apparent, and I just couldn't take it any longer. He reminded me too much of _him_.

Stepping out of his grasp, I muttered a quick, "I'm sorry," before turning around and walking away. I kept walking thorough all the swaying mass of bodies until I reached the door that led to the parking lot. Without another glance back, I proceeded from the building.

The air was warm with a thin breeze, making the small wisps of my hair blow into my face. I found the nearest garbage can and threw my mask into the growing pile of trash. I found the wall and slid down against it until I was sitting on the cold ground. Drawing my knees up to my chest, I looked out over the parking lot, thoughts and memories of _him _plaguing my mind.

_*Flashback*_

"_That one looks like a dinosaur," I said, pointing to a cloud in the sky._

"_That looks nothing like a dinosaur. It doesn't even look like anything," he replied. _

_We were lying on our backs at the park, hands intertwined, basking in the last moments of summer. As cheesy as it sounded, we were picking out shapes from the clouds. And he had no imagination whatsoever. _

_We had been dating for a few months now, ever since that freshmen dance. Even though he _was_ still my best friend, my heart still fluttered any time we made any form of physical contact. Pathetic, yeah, I'm aware._

_After a few more minutes of watching the clouds, he turned on his side towards me and rested his head on his hand. "Max?" he asked._

"_Yeah?" I responded, still looking at the sky. _

"_You know I didn't call you over here just to look at the clouds."_

_I finally turned to him and mimicked his position, still holding on to his hand. "Alright, then. Shoot."_

_He turned his gaze to the ground, his countenance faintly darkening. "My family and I are moving." _

_Well….. shit. "Where?" I asked calmly. _

"_Australia." He looked back up to analyze my reaction._

_I stared at him with a blank expression. A moment passed. Then, "Hahahaha, good one. And I'm going to college in the United Arab Emirates."_

_He scowled and stood up, crossing his arms over his chest (did I mention he looked really hot doing that?) and looking away. "Max, I'm serious."_

_I stood up next to him and dusted the imaginary dust off of my jeans. "You can't…. you can't really be moving…. can you? And, I mean, really? Australia?"_

_He turned to me, his gaze resting on my eyes. "I know. I didn't believe it a first, either. But I really am going. I'm leaving before sophomore year starts."_

_I looked at him with wide eyes, mouth hanging open. I couldn't move. This couldn't be happening. My best friend-turned-boyfriend was leaving. Leaving me. And half way across the freaking world. _

_Fang noticed my lack of feedback and pulled me into his arms. I pressed my face into his chest as he rested his chin on my head. My eyes started prickling, but I refused to cry. He wouldn't want to see me cry. I needed to be tough._

_We stayed like that for a few minutes, with his faintly rocking me back and forth. He finally pulled back but held onto one of my hands. I didn't want to let him go. _

_He reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a lone rose. How it hadn't yet been squashed, I had no earthly idea. He held it out to me, offering it, and I slowly took it. I examined it in my hands, going over every thorn and bump on the stem. It was indeed real. _

_He started, "I know it's cheesy, and it won't last long, but-"_

"_I love it." _

_His eyes flickered with surprise. "You do?"_

_I nodded. "It's perfect," I said with a smile. _

_He grinned, actually _grinned_, and cupped my cheeks with his hand. "I love you," he said tenderly. My eyes almost burst out of their sockets. I opened my mouth to respond, but I didn't have a chance to say anything as he leaned down to kiss me._

_We broke apart after a few moments, but he didn't release his soft hold of my face. "Wait for me, okay? I'll promise I'll come back. Just wait for me."_

_I smiled. "Always."_

_*End Flashback*_

That was the last time I had seen _him_, as I was too depressed to see _him_ off at the airport. We had kept in touch at first, video chatting and calling each other every single day. But as the days and weeks went by, we had gradually drifted apart as the tolls of high school kicked in, along with extracurricular activities and other crud, to the point where we stopped the calls and the texts all together.

And of course I missed _him_, so much that my heart ached at the mention of _his_ name, but hearing _his _voice on the phone and seeing_ his_ face in a video chat made me realize how much I truly missed _him_.

High school just wasn't the same without _him_. Sure, I had my friends and everything, but it just felt dissimilar. I never dated any other guys. I would have felt like I was betraying _him_. Because in the end, I still loved _him_. And I don't think I could ever stop.

My thoughts were interrupted as the door that I had beforehand emanated from opened. My head snapped up to see who it could possibly be (how _dare_ they enter the domain of the magnificent Maximum Ride), before discerning that it was the stranger clad in black.

Oh great. And I came out here just to get away from him.

"What do you want?" I demanded, as I stayed right in my spot. I didn't see the point in getting up for him.

He didn't answer, but went to reach for something in his back pocket.

I rolled my eyes. He seemed a little bit on the creeper side, to be honest. "Look, dude, I don't know who you are, but –"

I stopped as I saw him pull out a rose. And not even a fake one. At a loss for words, I looked at the rose, and then back at him, and then back at the rose. It couldn't be, could it…? No….

"Max," he said. "It's me."

Hearing his voice. That was all it took for me to jump up from my position and run into his arms. He welcomed me with a warm embrace, almost crushing me just as I was pretty sure doing to him. I breathed in his scent, assuring myself that he was actually real and actually there. It felt like a dream.

"You don't know how much I've fucking missed you," he said into my hair. "But I'm back, and we're gonna go to college together just like we've always said."

This was unreal. This whole thing was unreal. I felt that at any given moment, someone would jump out of hiding and exclaim, "You've just been pranked! Hardy har har!" But I felt him. And he was real.

I released my hands from his waist and stepped back, taking the rose in my hand.

"Too cheesy?" he asked, giving me that very schmexy smile of his that I've missed oh too much.

I grinned back. "Nah." And remembering what I had been regretting to say all those years, what I had been repeating over and over in my head to the point where I felt I was growing insane, I finally said it back.

"I love you too, Fang." **(Meh)**

**~* O *~**

**Oh, the revulsion of this happy ending! And they live happily ever after, yeah yeah yeah….**

**Well, cough….. it has indeed been a while. Yes, I have been busy, but I also have had not too much incentive to write. I was always like, "Eh, I'll start the chapter this weekend," and then I'd be too busy sleeping or reblogging on tumblr or something.**

**Speaking of tumblr, I recently got one! It is AMAZING, and I advise each and every one of you to get one! If you want me to follow you, just tell me! But don't get one if you value your social and academic life too much. **

**A little late, but you guys all saw The Hunger Games, right? That, too, was AMAZING! I dressed up and everything with a bow and arrow and the signature braid. Oh, the amount of stares I received! I was basking them all in with pride. If you haven't seen the movie yet, you better watch out, cause I'm coming after you….**

**~aalaal**


End file.
